The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), through its ECOWAS Centre for Gender Development (CCDG), officially launched a week-long capacity-building workshop in Lomé, Togo, on June 22, 2026, for stakeholders involved in small-scale cross-border trade.

Organized in partnership with the Government of Togo and several technical and financial partners, the workshop is part of the Regional Fortnight on Women’s Small-Scale Cross-Border Trade in the ECOWAS region, which began on June 18, 2026.

Over five days, participants will engage in technical sessions, practical training, group work, and multi-stakeholder dialogues addressing key challenges facing small-scale cross-border trade.

The first two days will focus on presenting the findings of a situational analysis on the participation of women and youth in cross-border trade across several ECOWAS Member States, assessing the ECOWAS Gender and Trade Action Plan 2015–2020, and validating the new ECOWAS Gender and Trade Strategy 2026–2030 along with its action plan.

This initiative reflects ECOWAS' commitment to promoting gender equality, empowering women entrepreneurs, and facilitating regional trade across West Africa.