The Female Parliamentarians’ Association of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOFEPA) has urged women across the region to explore regional and global markets using necessary skills and technology.
The call was made Friday at the Executive Masterclass titled, ‘Advancing Women’s Participation in Global Trade for Political Readiness and Export Opportunities’ in ECOWAS Region”.
The programme, which brought together, women parliamentarians, entrepreneurs, exporters and other stakeholders to examine ways of increasing women’s participation in trade and strengthen their readiness for leadership and decision-making, also harped on access to finance and availability of markets within and beyond the region.
Delivering the welcome address on behalf of the ECOFEPA President, the First Vice-President, Honourable Zainab Gimba, stated that women should move beyond acting as participants in economic activities to becoming major drivers of trade, investment and innovation.
She said: “We must move beyond conversations about empowering women to creating the knowledge systems, networks and opportunities that enable women to compete successfully in local, regional and international markets.”
According to the Gimba, the objective should be to equip women not only to participate in trade but also to lead it, thereby strengthening their economic and political influence.
Gimba added that women entrepreneurs have continued to face barriers including limited access to finance, market information, technology, business networks as well as inadequate representation in decision-making.
She said these challenges were particularly significant for women seeking to transform small-scale businesses into formal, competitive and export-oriented enterprises.
The parliamentarian also linked economic success with political participation, stressing that successful businesses will give women greater confidence, networks and leadership experience.
“We need women who are not only prepared to enter the marketplace but also prepared to sit at the tables, where decisions about trade, investment, finance, industry and regional integration are made”, she said.
She further urged governments, financial institutions, development partners and businesses to provide accessible financing, better trade infrastructure, reliable market information, mentorship and stronger networks for women entrepreneurs in the region.
To be adequately equipped for business expansion, Gimba held that women must posess practical knowledge of standards, certification, packaging, branding, logistics, digital commerce, customs procedures and the requirements of international buyers.
She therefore tasked female parliamentarians on practical support for women entrepreneurs.
Representing Ghana’s Minister for Gender, Children and Social Protection, the ministry’s Legal Adviser, Ms Nnali Bennis-Wallace, was elated that women are already making significant contributions to the economic development of the region.
She said women were active as farmers, processors, manufacturers, traders, service providers, exporters and entrepreneurs, contributing to employment, household incomes, food security and economic growth.
She however lamented that many women-owned businesses remained concentrated in the informal economy as they struggle with access to finance, technology, market information, business networks and larger markets.
“Therefore, we must move beyond seeing women primarily as beneficiaries of economic programmes to deliberately position them as producers, exporters, investors, innovators and decision-makers”, she said.
Bennis-Wallace said that regional and continental trade frameworks could provide opportunities for women entrepreneurs to expand their businesses and participate more actively in intra-African and global trade.
She informed that initiatives such as the masterclass were important because they could provide women with the practical knowledge and tools required to move beyond local markets.
The Ghanaian government, she said, recognised women’s economic empowerment as an important component of national development.
She cited the National Gender Policy 2025-2034 as a framework for advancing gender-responsive development, women’s economic empowerment and participation in decision-making, and called for stronger collaboration among government institutions, trade and economic bodies, parliaments, financial institutions, development partners, civil society organisations, private-sector actors and women’s business associations.
Bennis-Wallace also stressed the importance of reliable data in understanding women’s participation in trade and designing policies that respond to the barriers they face.
She proposed strengthening the capacity of women-owned businesses to become export-ready, expanding access to finance, technology, market information and digital platforms, and creating stronger and more sustainable markets.
