Mainstream women, men and Youth in Cross Border Trade in the Nile Basin Countries

1. Mainstream women, men and Youth in Cross Border Trade in the Nile Basin Countries Frederick Mugisha, PhD Evarist Twimukye, PhD Madina Guloba, Msc Mwita Rukandema, PhD SOCIO-ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AND BENEFIT SHARING PROJECT, NILE BASIN INITIATIVE

2. Creating and sharing the benefits of cross border trade

3. Method: Analytical approach value importers men Value added, % women, men & youth exporters traders farmers Youth women

4. Methods: Data • Type and source of data • Primary data collected from farmers, traders, exporters and importers in Uganda, Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania, DRC and Sudan. • Interviews with 160 farmers and fishers, 96 traders, 43 exporters, and 22 importers – with overlaps farmers, trader, exporters, importers and key informants • Published and unpublished documents such as policies, reports etc

5. Findings: Involvement of men & women - Beans

6. Findings: Involvement of men & women - Maize

7. Summary of issues • Farm stage • Value addition is considered low at the farm, men get involved for commercial purposes, women for food security • Lack of skills and experience in subsequent stages of the chain confine women at the farm • Trade stage • Lack of finance • Lack of time and conflict with domestic duties • Family power relations – husband would not allow • Lack of skills and experience in trade and trade facilitation

8. Summary of issues (cont’) • Export stage • Same issues as the trade stage • Import stage • Women are relatively more but involved in smaller quantities • Women are in it to ensure food security and in turn sell mainly to women vendors • Men sell mainly to factories that sometimes package, process and re-export outside the Nile Basin

9. General issues that emerge • Absence of value addition at all stages of the cross border trade chain – except in packaging, sorting • Poor physical infrastructure – e.g. roads • Undeveloped market institutions at border points need strengthening – relations between and across actors, unhampered and free movement of people, security and cross border telecommunications

10. Policy and program response to challenges • Policies to mainstream men, women and youth exist, no implementation strategies though; • Policies and value addition focus on domestic and cross border trade, and not general international trade • Market institutions is viewed as a wider undertaking covering roads, railways and telecommunication • Policies and practices on free movement of people, goods and services have a basis in treaties but not well enforced

11. What should the Nile Basin Countries do and how? • Mainstream women in trade, export and import stages of the cross border chain, think more than security – invest in Granary for the Nile Basin(GNB) that combines small scale warehousing and low cost credit  partnership with non-government organization, civil society and community based organization; • Mainstream men at farmer stage – invest in Basin Appropriate Technology (BAT) that combines farming and post harvest handling techniques  partnership with the private sector • Mainstream youth at all stages [farmer, trader, exporter and importer ] – invest in Basin Agricultural Commodity Exchange (BACE)that collect, disseminate information on standards, quantity, quality, grades, prices and other critical information through for example short message technology  participating institutions to host the youth

12. Other actions • Add value at all stages of the cross border trade chain • Act to improve cooperation between and across actors in the chain • Strengthen market institutions and infrastructure • Mobilize support (political and financial) for and upgrade market institutions and infrastructure • Improve border policies and practices • dialogue on consequences of unilateral action for food security; • sensitize customs, immigration and security staff • sensitize citizens on rights with clear channels for redress

13. Investment strategy – mainstream men, women and youth value importers men BAT exporters Value added, % women & men GNB BACE traders farmers Youth women

14. Management and coordination

15. Few reflections • Invest in supporting member countries to implement existing policies and agreed upon practices • Focus on the entire chain of cross border trade, take action at specific stage when action is required, and action will be specific to commodities or services • In many instances, our actions will not be gender specific but will likely enable women to create and share benefits of cross border trade. E.g. investment in market institutions, standards and trust, will enable women use developments in ICT, use phones to trade – women in Kenya