Assessment of the Role of Nigerian Women Entrepreneurs in Cross-Border Trade Within the Lake Chad Basin Region

This study assesses the role of Nigerian women entrepreneurs in cross-border trade within the Lake Chad Basin region, encompassing Nigeria's Borno and Yobe states and their trade relationships with Niger, Chad, and Cameroon. Women constitute a significant proportion of informal cross-border traders in this region, dealing primarily in food commodities, textiles, and household goods, yet their contributions are rarely captured in official trade statistics or supported by formal trade development programmes. The study adopts a qualitative and descriptive mixed-methods design, with data collected from 90 women traders, women trade association leaders, and border management officials in Maiduguri and Damaturu through structured questionnaires and focus group discussions. Descriptive statistics and thematic analysis are employed. The theoretical framework draws on feminist political economy and the informal economy literature. The study examines the economic contributions of women cross-border traders, the barriers they encounter including harassment, insecurity, multiple taxation, and mobility restrictions, as well as their coping and resilience strategies. Security challenges posed by the Boko Haram insurgency are also contextualised as a major structural constraint on cross-border trade in the region. Findings are expected to highlight the central but undervalued role of women traders in sustaining household food security and regional commerce despite operating in a high-risk environment. Recommendations include gender-sensitive trade facilitation policies, targeted security frameworks for border traders, and access to formal trade finance for women entrepreneurs. Keywords: women entrepreneurs, cross-border trade, Lake Chad Basin, Borno State, informal economy