Event
ECOWAS Supports Women Traders Driving West Africa’s Informal Markets
ECOWAS supports women traders through a regional caravan initiative boosting informal trade, improving market access, and empowering female entrepreneurs
The ECOWAS supports women traders campaign reached a major milestone as the ECOWAS Caravan 2025 concluded in Lagos, spotlighting the critical role of women in informal cross-border trade across West Africa.
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The two-week empowerment journey, launched by the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), followed the Abidjan–Lagos trade corridor, with stops in Abidjan, Lomé, Cotonou, and Lagos.
The initiative culminated at the ECOWAS Gender Development Centre on July 14, after a series of strategic engagements to boost the visibility and economic potential of small-scale women traders.
“Women are the lifeblood of informal trade in West Africa. This caravan is about visibility, voice, and value—it’s about shaping policies that support women where it matters most,” said ECOWAS Commissioner for Social Affairs and Gender, Professor Fatou Sow Sarr, during the Lagos closing ceremony at the Federal Palace Hotel.
At the Lagos leg, Commissioner for Commerce, Cooperatives, Trade and Investment, Folashade Ambrose-Medebem, officially launched the local campaign. She described the initiative as a bold intervention to empower the women who drive regional commerce.
“These women are not just traders; they are economic builders. They continue to sustain households and communities under harsh conditions,” she said, urging deeper institutional support and legal protection.
She further revealed that Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu approved ₦500 billion for MSMEs through the Access to Finance initiative.
This funding, matched by the Bank of Industry, provides interest-free loans with favourable terms for women-led cooperatives and informal businesses.
Dr Chinyere Almona, Director-General of the Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI), applauded the campaign, calling it “symbolic and necessary.”
“For women in agriculture, fisheries, and border trade, their daily grind is not just a livelihood; it’s an act of resilience. ECOWAS supports women traders who fuel our informal economy,” Almona said.
She recommended continuous community-based training in local languages, digital trade platforms, and simplified customs processes to further empower grassroots entrepreneurs.
Princess Omotola Omole, President of the Federation of Business Women Entrepreneurs (FEBWE), echoed those sentiments, praising ECOWAS for standing by female traders in their quest to uplift families and communities.
“ECOWAS has been there for women who dare to dream big. Their commitment is unwavering,” she said.
The ECOWAS Small Business Coalition, represented by Dr Abdulrashid Yerima, described the caravan as a model for regional trade development. “The bridges we build today become the trade routes of tomorrow’s prosperity,” he noted.
Over 300 participants attended the closing event, including local and regional leaders, female entrepreneurs, and development partners.
An interactive town hall meeting featured discussions on trade facilitation, toolkit presentations, and community feedback sessions.
The ECOWAS supports women traders initiative builds on earlier editions—the Tema–Paga corridor in 2023 and Dakar–Banjul–Bissau in 2024.
This year’s caravan not only advanced the economic inclusion of women but also deepened institutional collaboration and market access across member states.
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As the 2025 caravan ends, ECOWAS reaffirmed its commitment to transforming regional trade by giving women the visibility and voice to shape West Africa’s future.
The Special Adviser to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu on Media and Public Communications, Sunday Dare, has been announced as the Keynote Speaker for the Anniversary Public Lecture of Lagos-based online newspaper, thegazellenews’.com.
The lecture is scheduled to hold on Wednesday, 15 July, 2026 at the Radisson Blu Hotel, Lagos, by 10:00 a.m.
The event will focus on the theme: “Driving Grassroots Governance with Public-Private Partnership: The Pains, The Challenges, The Prospects
In a statement, the management of TheGazelleNews said the annual lecture series was established to provide a platform for intellectual discourse and policy conversations on critical national issues affecting Nigeria and its people.
The organisers noted that the lecture has, over the years, attracted eminent personalities, policymakers, academics, media practitioners, captains of industry and political stakeholders from across the country.
The management described Dare as a seasoned administrator, journalist and communications strategist whose extensive experience in governance and public service positions him to lead discussions on grassroots governance and the role of public-private partnerships in national development.
“The annual lecture series was created to provide a platform for intellectual discourse and policy conversations on critical national issues affecting the country and its people,” the statement noted.
It further disclosed that invited guests and participants are expected from government institutions, media organisations, civil society groups and the private sector.
Dare, a distinguished global communications and multimedia expert, author and public speaker, brings more than three decades of experience across journalism, governance, public policy and strategic communications.
He currently serves as Special Adviser to President Tinubu on Media and Public Communications, where he plays a central role in shaping and coordinating the administration’s public communication strategy.
Throughout his career, he has built a reputation for combining journalism, public policy and stakeholder management, while championing institutional reforms, digital innovation and youth empowerment initiatives.
Before his current role, Dare served as Minister of Youth and Sports Development from 2019 to 2023, where he introduced the Nigeria Sports Industry Policy (NSIP), widely known as the “Sports as Business” model.
He also spearheaded the implementation of a 10-year Football Master Plan designed to reposition Nigerian football and launched the Adopt-an-Athlete Initiative to strengthen sports development.
Under his leadership, Nigeria recorded one of its most successful outings at major international sporting competitions, including the Commonwealth Games and the Olympics, securing a combined 35 medals.
He also facilitated the establishment of the N75 billion Nigeria Youth Investment Fund (NYIF) to support youth entrepreneurship and economic empowerment.
Earlier, Dare served as Executive Commissioner for Stakeholder Management at the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) between 2016 and 2019, overseeing stakeholder engagement and supervising key departments, including Licensing and Authorisation, Legal and Enforcement, and Zonal Operations.
He also previously served as Chief of Staff and Special Adviser on Media to Tinubu, managing media relations and political communications.
In the international media arena, Dare worked with the Independent Communication Network Limited (ICNL), publishers of The News/Tempo/PM News where he rose to become the General Editor of the flagship publication of the company, The News magazine. Dare was one of the leading lights in the media war against the military junta in the days of Babangida and late Sanni Abacha and was active in the guerilla journalism of that era.
He spent nearly a decade at Voice of America, rising to become Chief of the Hausa Service. In that capacity, he directed radio programming that reached an estimated audience of 28 million listeners daily across West Africa while introducing modern information technology tools into newsroom operations.
Academically, Dare attended Ahmadu Bello University, University of Jos, New York University, Harvard University and University of Oxford. He is currently pursuing a PhD in Intelligence and Global Security.
The management of TheGazelleNews expressed confidence that Dare’s experience in governance, media, public policy and strategic communications would enrich discussions at the anniversary lecture and stimulate meaningful conversations on strengthening grassroots governance through effective public-private partnerships.
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