Regional trade in Africa can play avital role in diversifying economies and reducing dependenceon the export of a few mineral products, in delivering foodand energy security, in generating jobs for the increasingnumbers of young people, and in alleviating poverty andpromoting a shared prosperity. Women play a key role intrade in Africa and will be essential to Africa'ssuccess in exploiting its trade potential. In many countriesin Africa, the majority of small farmers are women, and theyproduce crops such as maize, cassava, cotton, and rice thathave enormous potential for increased trade between Africancountries and with the global market. Women are alsoinvolved in providing services across borders, such aseducation, health, and professional services, includingaccountancy and legal services. Hundreds of thousands ofwomen cross borders in Africa every day to deliver goodsfrom areas where they are relatively cheap to areas in whichthey are in shorter supply. Yet, policy makers typicallyoverlook women's contribution to trade and thechallenges they face. This volume brings together a seriesof chapters that look at the ways that women participate intrade in Africa, the constraints they face, and the impactof those constraints. It seeks to extend the rather smallamount of analytical work that has been devoted to thisissue and to encourage researchers, especially in Africa, tolook more carefully at the specific challenges women face.The chapters look at the conditions and challenges faced bythree broad groups: informal cross border traders; women whoparticipate in the production of traded goods and services,ranging from rural farmers of cotton to professionalactivities such as legal and accountancy services; and womenentrepreneurs with dominant ownership of exportingcompanies. The book highlights the importance of identifyingand removing the conditions that prevent women fromexploiting the full potential of trading activities. Thisreport is organized as follows: chapter one givesintroduction; chapter two presents barriers, risks, andproductive potential for small-scale traders in the Greatlakes region; chapter three focuses on unshackling womentraders: cross-border trade of Eru from Cameroon to Nigeria;chapter four focuses on women cross-border traders,challenges, and behavior change communications; chapter fivegives the gender dimension of Uganda's cotton sector;chapter six focuses on services trade and gender; chapterseven focuses on gender in the tourism industry: the case ofKenya; chapter eight presents shape up and ship out?: genderconstraints to growth and exporting in South Africa; andchapter nine presents trade and gender in Tanzania: whatmatters-participation or outcomes?.
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