Advancing gender equality and inclusion through stakeholder engagement in Ghana
The WCO organized, in partnership with the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) a one-week gender equality and diversity (GED) mission from 18 to 22 March 2024 in Ghana. This mission included a two-day stakeholder engagement meeting targeting Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) and small-scale traders, including many women traders. This engagement forms part of the West Africa Security Project (WASP) component on gender equality, a partnership between WCO and the German Central Customs Authority funded by the Federal Foreign Office of Germany.
During the week, the WCO team, including an expert from the Botswana United Revenue Services (BURS), held meetings with different GRA units to discuss the advancement of the GRA GED action plan, developed as a result of previous capacity-building support under the framework of this project. One of the key activities identified in the action plan was to reinforce the collaboration with external stakeholders to advance GED, including collaboration with Other Government Agencies and international development partners, and to disseminate simplified information translated into local languages to stakeholders.
In this regard, a first stakeholder engagement meeting was held, with the Sub-Committee on Gender of the National Trade Facilitation Committee (NTFC) and the Ministry of Trade and Industry of Ghana also participating. The meeting served to sensitize stakeholders on the linkages between trade facilitation and gender, the opportunities generated by the World Trade Organization’s (WTO) Trade Facilitation Agreement (TFA) and the African Continental Free Trade Agreement (AfCFTA), as well as Customs import and export procedures. The meetings gathered more than 60 stakeholders and provided an opportunity for Customs to listen to the stakeholders’ needs and concerns. As an outcome of the discussions, recommendations were identified to reinforce the collaboration between the GRA and these stakeholder groups going forward.
The WCO looks forward to continuing working with the GRA to implement the recommendations from the GED mission.
For more information, please contact capacity.building@wcoomd.org.
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