This week trade ministers from across the globe will meet in Nairobi to try to hammer out a deal to follow the 2013 Bali package, hoping for the first universal agreement by World Trade Organization (WTO) members on measures to lower international barriers to trade. The summit comes against a backdrop of significant efforts by international development organisations and governments to open up economic activity across east Africa. Projects, including one-stop border posts and the creation of electronic platforms for identifying and communicating costly non-tariff barriers, have started to bear fruit, with trade between the East African Community (EAC) increasing from £1.7bn in 2004 to £5.7bn in 2014. Yet the need for accelerated economic growth, and in particular the kind of growth that creates jobs, remains crucial. While east Africa's rise as an emerging hub for sectors from tech to oil and gas gives cause for optimism, population growth continues apace, increasing at a yearly rate of 2.9%. The full potential for stimulating economic growth and reducing poverty through opening up trade in east Africa remains unfulfilled, particularly in terms of enhancing the important role of women. While there is a growing body of evidence to suggest women not only bear the brunt of poverty, but also represent a powerful tool in its elimination, women across east Africa have rarely had access to the support structures, information and tools required for their proper participation. This failure means a potentially rich source of economic growth remains underdeveloped, but, by the same token, it also presents a major opportunity to craft a more effective and sustainable route out of poverty that will help developing countries in the region move beyond aid. Research by PricewaterhouseCoopers has suggested that if women's paid employment rates were raised to the same level as men's, per capita incomes would rise by 14% by 2020 and 20% by 2030 in 15 major developing economies. In many African countries, more than half of smallholder farmers are women. Research by the Food and Agriculture Organisation shows that women in developing countries could produce 20%-30% more food if they had the same access to productive resources as men, reinforcing the significance of the issue. If this equality of access were achieved, the increased yields could mean pulling up to 150 million people out of hunger. There is also significant social impact to be derived, with women reinvesting up to 90% of their income in the education, health and nutrition of their family and community, compared to 30%-40% for men. In our projects across east Africa, we have seen for ourselves how working to empower female traders leads not only to increases in earnings, but subsequently delivers greater spending on medical insurance and education, in particular. Despite this, east Africa's economic and development potential is undermined by the constraints faced by female traders, including various non-tariff barriers that too often push them into the informal economy where a lack of access to finance, accurate information, and official networks can jeopardise their capacity to grow and develop their business. Informal cross-border trade, carried out largely by women, represents a significant proportion of regional cross-border trade in sub-Saharan Africa. For example, in Uganda, informal exports flowing to five neighbouring countries were estimated to account for £153m in 2006, corresponding to around 86% of Uganda's official export flows to these countries. TradeMark East Africa's Women and Trade Programme seeks to level the playing field by supporting 25,000 female traders and female-owned enterprises to break down these barriers across Uganda, Kenya, Rwanda, Burundi, Tanzania and South Sudan. We will invest a total of £3m over the course of the next year in female entrepreneurs from the region, trading everything from coffee to cosmetics. By supporting women to register with trade associations that can provide information, helping them form cooperatives and secure loans, and sensitising them to various regulations and procedures, more women will be able to benefit from rising consumer demand. By placing empowerment of women at the centre of this week's trade discussions in Nairobi, we can contribute towards furthering trade as a key driver of growth, employment and poverty reduction. This is an investment worth making to give thousands of women the opportunity of leading east Africa's growth and development.
