Executives of the National Cross Border Women Traders Association (NCBWTA) have paid a courtesy call on the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) Ghana to discuss issues pertinent to their activities.

The visit followed an earlier launch, in March, by the IOM of a 24-month project, titled: ‘Empowering Women in Small Scale Cross-Border Trade between Ghana, Benin, and Togo,’.

It aims at contributing towards strengthened community development in border areas through an enabling environment for women in Small Scale Cross-Border Trade (SSCBT).

Mrs Rebecca Dzidzogbe Amuzu, Head of Programmes and Policy, NCBWTA, called on the Organisation to partner local associations such as theirs to give practical solution to women in SSCBT along Ghana’s corridors.

She asked the IOM to support the Association through capacity building and sensitisation programmes to help the women have deeper understanding of their rights and responsibilities at the borders to reduce incidents of abuse, extortion and child traffickin
g.

Mr Ethan Way, IOM monitoring and Evaluation officer, commended the founders of the cross-border women traders empowerment group for the efforts and said the IOM was happy about Association as it would help stakeholders deal directly with its beneficiaries.

He said NCBWTA’s call for partnership was in the right direction because it fell in line with the IOM’s objectives towards strengthening community development in border areas by providing an enabling environment for women traders to thrive.

Mr Way outlined some of the major actions the IOM would be engaging the Association and other stakeholders on, which included production of a comprehensive and gender-sensitive analytic reports on SSCBT, and creation of modules on regional and continental framework related to migration.

Also is the development of sensitisation tools for civil society organisations in each of the three West African countries to support women, and finally the sensitisation of women in SSCBT on entrepreneurship, financial inclusion a
nd rights/obligations.

Mr Oscar Akaba-Norvixoxo, the National Coordinator for NCBWTA, in an interview with Ghana News Agency, said the meeting with IOM was successful, which would help grow the informal trading sector.

‘The Association would be ever ready to support in achieving shared goals to empower cross-border women traders.’

Source: Ghana News Agency