The Minister for Gender, Children and Social Protection, Dr. Agnes Naa Momo Lartey, has called for stronger measures to increase women’s participation in global trade, urging stakeholders to expand women-owned businesses’ access to finance, technology, markets and regional export opportunities.
Women across the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), she said, are already making significant contributions to economic development as farmers, processors, manufacturers, traders, service providers, exporters and entrepreneurs.
The Minister made the call on Friday in a keynote address delivered on her behalf by Ms. Nelly Bernice Wallace, Legal Adviser to the Ministry, at the ECOFEPA Executive Masterclass as part of the Second 2026 Parliamentary Seminar and Second Extraordinary Session of the ECOWAS Parliament.
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The masterclass was held under the theme “Advancing Women’s Participation in Global Trade for Political Readiness and Export Opportunities in the ECOWAS Region.
She pointed out that many women-owned and women-led businesses, however, remain concentrated in the informal economy and continue to face barriers to finance, technology, market information, business networks and larger regional and international markets.
“We must move beyond seeing women primarily as beneficiaries of economic programmes to deliberately position them as producers, exporters, investors, innovators and decision-makers,” the Minister said.
According to Naa Momo Lartey, implementing the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) provides significant opportunities to strengthen women’s participation in global trade.
The continental trade framework, she said, could help women entrepreneurs access new markets, expand their businesses, strengthen competitiveness and participate more meaningfully in intra-African and global trade.
She also described initiatives such as the ECOFEPA masterclass as important bridges between policy commitments and the practical knowledge women need to convert trade opportunities into tangible economic benefits.
The Minister urged policymakers to go beyond developing policies and legislative frameworks and establish systems that reach women entrepreneurs, particularly those in rural communities and the informal sector.
Dr. Lartey proposed four practical actions to strengthen women’s participation in trade.
First, she called for stronger capacity-building to make women-owned and women-led businesses export-ready.
Second, she urged expanded access to finance, technology, markets, information and digital platforms.
Third, she called for stronger and sustainable linkages between women entrepreneurs and regional and international markets.
The fourth priority, she said, should be preparing more women to participate meaningfully in decision-making processes that shape trade, investment and economic policies.
“These actions will require sustained commitment, stronger partnerships and, importantly, accountability for results,” she said.
Dr. Naa Momo Lartey said the future of regional integration must ensure that women are not left at the margins of trade but become active participants, innovators and leaders in the regional and global economy.
She envisioned an ECOWAS where a woman with a viable product has the knowledge and skills to take it to market, the resources to grow her business, digital tools to reach customers beyond her immediate market, and the confidence to influence policies affecting her economic future.
Hon. Naa Momo Lartey also stressed the link between economic empowerment and political readiness, saying women who build successful enterprises can develop economic influence, confidence, networks and leadership experience.
She urged participants to build meaningful connections and translate lessons from the masterclass into practical action.
The Minister commended ECOFEPA for the initiative and reaffirmed the government’s commitment to advancing women’s participation in trade, leadership and economic development.