Dismantle barriers so we can all thrive
I met Margaret, the chairperson of Elegu Women Cross Border Traders Association, in February 2020, at Elegu/Nimule Border. This border crossing point between Uganda and South Sudan accounts for nearly 80% of imports into South Sudan. Margaret was accompanied by 13 of her members who trade in cereals, transport, spare parts, vegetables, food joints, and accommodation. The women, some of whom, once smuggled their produce across the border, happily narrated how formalising their trade had boosted their livelihood. This was after training on the simplified trade regime and their rights. Through border committee dialogue platforms facilitated by TMEA and her government partners on both sides of the border; the women now enjoy cordial relationships with border officials, including quick dispute resolution and even have space within the One Stop Border Post structure. In fact, the meeting was facilitated by the Uganda Revenue Authority head of Customs at the Elegu border; and the mood was jovial and relaxed. The women spoke openly.
About 56% of the world’s unbanked population are women, making it harder for them to access credit. Margaret and her group started a SACCO that enables them to save weekly, and already 50 members borrowed funds to transfer their children to better schools, and expand their businesses, among others. With continued training on value addition, customs procedures, taxation and marketing, the future is “prosperous,” said Margaret, who “wants to see an end to the women begging, which the new platforms are facilitating.” With improved income, some of the women now hire help at home and in their businesses.
I would never have conjured up any of these successes 10 years ago when to buy food like a bag of rice, meant travelling nearly 110 kilometres to Gulu in Uganda. My work then, at a humanitarian project had led me to the Nimule/Elegu Border, which put simply, was a hub of chaos. Not only were structures scattered around, but the area also teemed with brokers who processed travellers and traders’ documents at a fee. It was intimidating. Truckloads of humanitarian cargo queued for clearance for days, and the tales shared by small-scale women cross-border traders were heart-breaking. At the time, the best efforts to support their trade bore little results.
Now, the TradeMarkEastAfrica Nimule/Elegu Border project has de-crowded the place and created a space where women cross border traders can thrive. The improvements are praiseworthy, thanks to collective efforts. Modern customs buildings neatly line both sides of the border, easing movement around offices. ICT4T systems make it possible to transit the border in half the time it took before. All this progress is great, but it doesn’t beat the warm feelings I have when I see women like Margaret empowered and trading freely across the border.
While challenges persist, it is reassuring to know plans exist to resolve them. TMEA’s continued efforts to mitigate unintended consequences — to men and women — caused by inefficiencies in trade processes and systems is bearing fruit, as stated here, here and here. Someone is making decisions and embracing ideas that restore confidence and dignity of women traders — thus positively influencing their families’ destinies. I can dare to dream about how much more the collective efforts will achieve in the coming years. No doubt the work that trade institutions like TMEA do, while devoid of celebrity pizzazz, should continue being acknowledged, supported and amplified for the sustained impact it has on people’s lives. By redesigning women’s role in the economy, we will build something that will outlast all of us.
And so:-
This one is to all the organisations establishing institutional frameworks that provide equal economic opportunities to men and women. Organisations that take deliberate steps to resolve unique barriers women face when accessing economic opportunities. Organisations providing safe spaces. Policy (and politics) is where it all starts. The doers. The Trailblazers.
And…
Here is to all the women who hand down unwritten survival tips to their daughters; rise at the crack of dawn, breaking their backs to contribute to their families’ provision, against great systematic challenges.
Here is to women who defy cultural expectations and raise their voices against discrimination; women who choose to challenge toxic male masculinity in boardrooms and elsewhere.
Here is to all the women, whose hustle has no glamour — be it homework or deskwork; women who have tirelessly and persistently amplified the urgency to dismantle broken systems, time and again and refuse to give up until they see change. To all women; bold, beautiful, daring.
Happy International Women’s Day to you!
- * All Photos Courtesy. Taken and used with permission.
- *This is a personal, from the field account and in no way represents the views of TMEA or its partners.
