This project seeks to establish a 'Women in Trade' (WIT) knowledge platform that will help women-led businesses improve their access to Canadian and international markets, thereby boosting inclusive and sustainable growth.

Promoting gender equality in global trade is an important element of an inclusive growth agenda, but women faces challenges that are amplified by rules, institutions, and laws that limit their participation, access to markets, and economic opportunities. As a result, women remain an untapped economic resource. However, trade promotion can create a win-win for both gender equality and economic growth.

This project will consolidate existing evidence, practices, and lessons into a WIT knowledge platform on trade for development. Drawing on emerging literature on gender and trade and the expertise of Trade Facilitation Office Canada (TFO), the research seeks to improve understanding of women's role in trade and the strategies or policies needed to ensure the sector works for women.

A multi-country research team will examine these questions in selected countries from sub-Saharan Africa (Ghana, Madagascar, Nigeria, and Senegal) and Southeast Asia (Cambodia and Vietnam). The project will generate a tool to gather, store, and analyze relevant data on women-led businesses in international and Canadian markets; a multi-stakeholder platform to foster dialogue and policy discussions towards inclusive trade policies and practices; and knowledge, evidence, and practical recommendations on how to boost access to Canadian and global markets for women-led businesses.