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AfCFTA, UNDP, Nigeria Demand Urgent Action to Put Women at Centre of Africa’s Economic Integration
AfCFTA, UNDP, Nigeria Demand Urgent Action to Put Women at Centre of Africa’s Economic Integration
…Warn continent cannot unlock $3.4tn single market while female traders battle finance, border bottlenecks
By: Michael Mike
African leaders on Monday made a compelling case for placing women at the heart of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), warning that the continent’s ambition to create the world’s largest single market would remain unrealised unless governments urgently remove structural barriers limiting female entrepreneurs and traders.
Speaking at the 2026 HerAfCFTA Regional Conference in Abuja, the Secretary-General of the AfCFTA Secretariat, Wamkele Mene, Nigeria’s Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Dr. Jumoke Oduwole, and the United Nations Assistant Secretary-General and Director of the Regional Bureau for Africa, Ahunna Eziakonwa, said women already constitute the backbone of Africa’s informal and small business economy but remain excluded from the policies, financing and infrastructure required to scale their enterprises across the continent.
The conference, themed “Women Advancing Africa’s Economic Transformation through Intra-African Trade: Scaling Impact,” drew ministers, trade commissioners, development partners, business leaders and women entrepreneurs from across Africa.
Collectively, the speakers argued that Africa’s future economic prosperity, industrialisation and strategic autonomy would depend on how quickly governments transform the AfCFTA from a legal framework into a practical platform that enables women-owned businesses to trade seamlessly across borders.
Eziakonwa described the current global environment as one characterised by fractured supply chains, rising protectionism and weakening multilateral cooperation, insisting that Africa could no longer depend on external markets to drive its development.
“We do not have time for a slow lane,” she declared.
“Every day we delay is a day of lost opportunity, lost trade, lost jobs and lost potential.”
She described the AfCFTA as a strategic necessity capable of helping Africa retain value, build resilient supply chains and reduce dependence on exports of raw materials.
According to her, although 49 African countries have ratified the agreement, implementation remains slow, stressing that treaties alone would not create jobs or improve livelihoods.
The UNDP regional chief urged African governments to harmonise regulations, simplify customs procedures, modernise logistics infrastructure, establish interoperable digital payment systems and eliminate barriers slowing the movement of goods and services across the continent.
She argued that Africa had a unique opportunity to demonstrate that economic integration could succeed even as much of the world moved towards protectionism.
“In a world that is disintegrating, Africa chooses integration. In a world that is building walls, Africa chooses bridges,” she said.
Eziakonwa maintained that women must be central to that vision, noting that they dominate informal cross-border trade despite operating under difficult conditions.
Drawing from African history, she cited the Aba Women’s Revolt of 1929, Queen Nzinga of Angola and generations of market women across West Africa as examples of women’s longstanding role in shaping African commerce.
“If women cannot navigate the AfCFTA market, then Africa has built a market for only half of its people,” she warned.
She called for immediate reforms, including simplified regulations for women traders, increased investment in trade infrastructure and digital systems, and greater representation of women in trade negotiations and policy formulation.
Earlier, Mene said African women were already demonstrating extraordinary entrepreneurial capacity despite significant structural constraints.
He disclosed that 83 per cent of Nigerian women identify as entrepreneurs, significantly higher than the continental average of 51 per cent, while women account for over 40 per cent of employment in micro, small and medium-sized enterprises.
He further revealed that women constitute approximately 74 per cent of informal cross-border traders within West Africa and facilitate between $2.5 billion and $6.5 billion in annual ECOWAS trade.
Despite their enormous contribution, he said African women traders continue to face harassment, extortion and an estimated $49 billion financing gap.
“These are not merely statistics,” Mene said.
“They represent millions of women creating businesses, generating employment and driving economic transformation.”
The AfCFTA Secretary-General highlighted the African Union Protocol on Women and Youth in Trade as a landmark achievement, describing it as the world’s first legally binding trade instrument specifically designed to promote women’s participation in continental trade.
According to him, the protocol commits member states to removing barriers to finance, encouraging women’s participation in higher-value sectors such as manufacturing, logistics, technology and mining, and creating a more inclusive continental marketplace.
He stressed, however, that implementation would require stronger collaboration among governments, development partners and the private sector.
Mene identified affordable finance, export readiness, market intelligence, digital trade skills, legal support, infrastructure and mentorship as critical requirements for women-owned businesses seeking to compete across Africa.
Speaking as host, Oduwole reaffirmed Nigeria’s commitment to ensuring that women become central beneficiaries of the AfCFTA.
She welcomed trade ministers, commissioners and entrepreneurs from across Africa, describing the conference as evidence of growing continental collaboration around inclusive trade.
The minister said the case for placing women at the centre of the AfCFTA was “an existential one,” arguing that the agreement could only succeed if it reflected the realities of the entrepreneurs who already dominate much of Africa’s private sector.
According to her, women own more than half of Africa’s micro, small and medium-sized enterprises, making them indispensable to the continent’s industrial and commercial future.
She, however, cautioned against treating women as a single homogeneous group, noting that female entrepreneurs operate across agriculture, manufacturing, services, technology and creative industries, each facing unique challenges requiring targeted policy responses.
“Our task is to ensure that women are not confined to the lower rungs of the AfCFTA market,” she said.
Oduwole pledged Nigeria’s commitment to implementing policies that would enable women-owned businesses to expand beyond domestic markets and fully benefit from the continental free trade agreement.
She also praised women entrepreneurs exhibiting products from several African countries at the conference, saying their presence demonstrated that the AfCFTA was already delivering tangible results beyond policy documents.
The three leaders agreed that Africa’s economic integration would ultimately be judged not by the number of treaties signed but by whether women entrepreneurs could move goods more easily, access finance, build competitive businesses and create jobs across borders.
They called on African governments to accelerate implementation of the Protocol on Women and Youth in Trade, dismantle longstanding barriers confronting women-owned enterprises and ensure that the continent’s emerging single market becomes genuinely inclusive.
Their message was unequivocal: Africa cannot build a prosperous, competitive and integrated economy while leaving behind the women who already power much of its trade
AfCFTA, UNDP, Nigeria Demand Urgent Action to Put Women at Centre of Africa’s Economic Integration
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NSCDC, TETFund Partner to Strengthen Security in Nigerian Tertiary InstitutionsMichael Olugbode in Abuja
NSCDC, TETFund Partner to Strengthen Security in Nigerian Tertiary Institutions
Michael Olugbode in Abuja
By: Michael Mike
The Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) has partnered with the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund) and the International Academy for Gender and Peace (IAGP) to strengthen security management across tertiary institutions in the country.
The partnership was unveiled in Abuja on Tuesday as NSCDC Commandant General, Prof. Ahmed Audi, opened a four-day specialised workshop on Campus Security Management (CSM) for 600 Chief Security Officers (CSOs) drawn from tertiary institutions across the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
Audi said the initiative had become necessary amid growing security threats confronting campuses, including cultism, violent extremism, kidnapping, gender-based violence, cybercrime, drug abuse and campus unrest.
He warned that the security challenges affecting the wider society were increasingly finding their way into academic environments, stressing that some individuals who later became involved in serious crimes such as banditry and kidnapping had begun their criminal activities while on campuses.
The NSCDC boss therefore charged the participating CSOs to adopt proactive approaches to campus security and continuously update their knowledge to meet emerging threats.
He urged them to remain vigilant and committed to protecting lives and property while respecting the fundamental human rights of students and staff.
The Course Director and President of IAGP, Prof. Frederick Tyoor, said the workshop was designed to re-tool campus security personnel with modern skills for identifying and addressing vulnerabilities before they develop into major security incidents.
Tyoor emphasised the importance of intelligence gathering and effective utilisation of security information, saying proactive intelligence could help neutralise threats before they materialise.
Representing TETFund Executive Secretary, Arc. Sunny Echono, Dr. Yusuf Gamawa reaffirmed the fund’s commitment to initiatives aimed at creating safe and conducive learning environments in tertiary institutions.
A goodwill message was also delivered by Prof. Bilyaminu Muhammed, Professor of Demography and Industrial Sociology at Nasarawa State University, Keffi.
The four-day workshop brings together experts from academia and security agencies to train participants on contemporary approaches to campus security management.
The initiative is expected to strengthen the capacity of Chief Security Officers to anticipate, prevent and respond effectively to security threats across Nigeria’s tertiary institutions.
NSCDC, TETFund Partner to Strengthen Security in Nigerian Tertiary Institutions
Michael Olugbode in Abuja
Togolese Public Health Expert Takes Charge of West Africa’s Health Agency
By: Michael Mike
The West African Health Organisation (WAHO), the specialised health institution of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), has entered a new leadership era with the assumption of office of Togolese public health expert, Professor Palokinam Pitché, as its Director-General.
Professor Pitché formally took over the leadership of the regional health body on Tuesday, September 1, 2026, with a mandate to strengthen health cooperation and support efforts to improve the wellbeing of populations across the ECOWAS region.
His emergence places a seasoned physician, public health specialist, academic and health-programme administrator at the helm of an institution responsible for promoting regional cooperation on health matters.
The ECOWAS Authority of Heads of State and Government had approved Pitché’s appointment for the 2026–2030 mandate at its 69th Ordinary Session in Lungi, Sierra Leone, in July. The final communiqué of the summit specifically listed Dr Palokinam Pitche of Togo as the new Director-General of WAHO.
Pitché comes to the regional position with more than 25 years of experience spanning public health administration, health-programme management, health-system strengthening and professional training.
Before his appointment, he served as National Coordinator of Togo’s National AIDS Control Programme between 2007 and 2012. In 2012, he became head of the Permanent Secretariat of Togo’s National Council for the Fight against AIDS and Sexually Transmitted Infections, a multisectoral structure attached to the Togolese Presidency.
His experience extends beyond Togo. Since 1996, he has undertaken consultancy assignments for major international health and development institutions, including the World Health Organisation (WHO), UNAIDS, USAID, WAHO, UNDP and UNFPA.
His assignments have included the development of health policies and strategic plans, resource mobilisation and efforts to harmonise HIV treatment protocols and postgraduate training curricula across ECOWAS countries.
The new WAHO chief is also a career academic.
A Professor of Dermatology and Venereology under CAMES since 2007, Pitché obtained his Doctor of Medicine degree from the University of Lomé and became an Associate Professor of Medicine in 2002.
His specialised training has covered dermatology and venereology, epidemiology, HIV, parasitology and tropical medicine, as well as immunology, vaccinology and biotechnology applied to infectious diseases. His training and professional development included institutions such as Université Paris-Sud, Johns Hopkins/CDC and the WHO in Geneva.
He has taught at the Faculty of Health Sciences of the University of Lomé since 1997 and has also served as head of the Dermatology and Venereology Department at CHU Sylvanus Olympio in Lomé since 2015.
His academic record is equally substantial. He is credited with more than 250 scientific publications and four books, particularly in the fields of dermatology, sexually transmitted infections, HIV/AIDS and sexual health.
Pitché assumes the WAHO leadership at a time when health security remains a major regional concern, with West African countries continuing to face infectious diseases, public-health emergencies and the need for stronger and more coordinated health systems.
His extensive experience working across governments, international organisations, development partners and community institutions could therefore prove significant as WAHO seeks to deepen regional health cooperation.
His appointment is also part of a broader renewal of ECOWAS institutions for the 2026–2030 cycle. Alongside Pitché’s appointment, the regional bloc approved new leadership for several key institutions, including the Inter-Governmental Action Group against Money Laundering in West Africa (GIABA).
For WAHO, however, the immediate challenge is translating Pitché’s extensive technical and managerial experience into stronger regional coordination and measurable improvements in health outcomes.
With a career that combines clinical medicine, public health administration, academia, international consultancy and scientific research, the Togolese professor takes charge of WAHO with a profile closely aligned with the complex demands of West Africa’s health landscape.
His four-year tenure is expected to place renewed emphasis on strengthening regional health systems and advancing cooperation among ECOWAS member states in pursuit of better health outcomes for their populations.
Togolese Public Health Expert Takes Charge of West Africa’s Health Agency
Massive Passport Intervention Launched for Nigerians in UK
By: Michael Mike
In a major effort to alleviate long-standing delays and streamline consular services for citizens living abroad, the Federal Government of Nigeria has deployed a special Passport Intervention Team to four major regions across the United Kingdom.
The initiative, directed by the Minister of Interior, Dr. Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, followed strategic consultations between the Nigeria Immigration Service, the High Commission of Nigeria, and local UK diaspora representatives.
The mobile team aims to make passport acquisition and renewal significantly easier for thousands of resident Nigerians, bringing official processing operations directly to regional hubs.
Under the scheduled arrangement, operations will kick off simultaneously in London and Manchester, running from September 7 to September 19. London applicants will be served at Layali Lounge along Bramley Road, while those in Manchester can access services at Nigerian House on Platt Lane.
The intervention will then shift to Scotland and Wales from September 21 to September 26, with venues established at the Hilton Convention Centre on Smithfield Road in Aberdeen and Sophia Gardens in Cardiff.
Officials emphasized that while the physical venues will handle biometric capture and application resolutions, all prospective applicants must first complete their registrations and financial transactions online through the official portal at passport.immigration.gov.ng.
The service confirmed that no physical cash payments or unregistered walk-ins will be permitted at any of the intervention centres.
This UK outreach comes as part of a broader reform strategy by the Ministry of Interior aimed at modernizing passport issuance, reducing processing backlogs, and ending the frustration often faced by Nigerians in the diaspora when attempting to renew critical travel documents.
Massive Passport Intervention Launched for Nigerians in UK
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