Yaoundé, Cameroon, 22 October 2026 — The United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) convened an online consultation to review efforts to measure informal cross-border trade in Central Africa. Organized by ECA’s Subregional Office for Central Africa, the meeting brought together national statistical offices from Cameroon, Equatorial Guinea and Gabon, along with the Central African Economic and Monetary Community (CEMAC).

The preparatory consultation forms part of the project “Enhancing Cross-Border Trade Involving Women-Owned Informal Businesses in Africa.” Launched in June 2026, the project covers Cameroon, the Central African Republic, Equatorial Guinea and Gabon. It aims to strengthen countries’ capacity to implement inclusive national trade strategies, with a particular focus on economically vulnerable groups, especially women-owned informal businesses.

National statistical offices in all four countries use a harmonized methodology under the HISWACA project, coordinated by CEMAC. Cameroon has been measuring informal cross-border trade since 2011 and regularly updates its mapping of border crossing points. All four countries are also conducting country studies under CEMAC’s coordination, with reports expected around mid-December 2026.

This statistical work focuses mainly on quantitative data on merchandise flows, including the products traded, volumes, border crossing points and partner countries.

“The two initiatives complement each other,” said Laura Ngomegni, a statistician at ECA’s Subregional Office for Central Africa. “The Office’s project will add sex-disaggregated analysis, looking at traders, markets and the constraints women traders face.”

Additional qualitative and socioeconomic data collection will likely be needed to examine these issues in greater depth. Maps of border crossing points produced by the national statistical offices could also contribute to the project’s planned georeferenced database of markets and trade routes.

“Inclusion is at the heart of this project,” said ECA Economic Affairs Officer Koffi Elitcha. “Our aim is to make all women traders visible, including those operating in the informal economy.”

Issued by:
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Economic Commission for Africa
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E-mail: eca-info@un.org