This activity is part of the implementation of the ECOWAS Gender and Trade Action Plan adopted by the Authority of ECOWAS Heads of State and Government in 2015. This action plan is a response to the various challenges and issues related to the contribution of women—particularly those engaged in informal trade exchanges between Member States along various inter-state corridors—whose activities are crucial to the socio-economic development of the West African region.

Thus, the EGDC initiated, in 2023, a Caravane that travels along the various corridors of the West African region, with the overall objective of facilitating cross-border trade and improving the operations of small traders, especially women, by enhancing their knowledge and understanding of cross-border trade as well as the related community texts and initiatives. The caravane is also an opportunity for ECOWAS and its partners to gather data and information on women and stakeholders involved in cross-border trade in the region. This data and information are essential for the development of appropriate projects and programs that meet the needs of women traders in line with the requirements of cross-border trade in West Africa.

The first edition of this initiative took place on the Tema-Ouaga corridor in October 2023. The second was held on the Dakar-Bissau-Banjul corridor in November 2024. The third will travel along the Abidjan-Lagos corridor in the first quarter of 2025. Each stage of the awareness campaign is organized around a series of structured activities as follows: Official Ceremony, Town Hall (Public Meeting), and Field Visit.

Official ceremonies serve as a platform to advocate with authorities and all actors involved in cross-border trade to create an environment conducive to the development of small-scale business activities by women traders along these corridors. They also mobilize and raise awareness among local and government authorities (Governors, Mayors, Decentralized State Services), defense and security forces, and border agencies (Customs, Border Police, Forestry and Water, etc.) on the issue of small-scale cross-border trade.

Town Halls (Public Meetings) are training sessions designed to strengthen the knowledge of women and all stakeholders involved in cross-border trade regarding community texts and initiatives, as well as to provide an introduction to the World Bank module on the West Africa Trade Facilitation Program (WATFP) and on the certificate of origin. These sessions feature presentations on ECOWAS instruments for women’s cross-border trade, a brief introduction to the AfCFTA, discussions where participants share their experiences in cross-border trade, and a quiz on Cross-Border Trade followed by discussions.

Field visits allow for the collection of pertinent information through interactions with women traders, with the aim of consolidating the ECOWAS database on women entrepreneurs and subsequently providing essential data to develop projects and programs that better meet their expectations and needs. This stage includes courtesy visits to local authorities, visits to regional markets, visits to incubation and training centers, visits to agricultural farms, visits to processing units, and visits to transport and logistics infrastructures.