Women in Ties: Informal Social Networks Among Women in Cross-Border Trading in Accra, Ghana

Abstract

This paper discusses how women in cross-border trading in Ghana have established informal social networks, which are either kinship-based or non-kinship-based, to address not only their economic needs but also the social, political and psychosocial challenges that they face as they travel across national frontiers. It highlights how women depend on bonds of empathy, obligation or sometimes a conscious need to present a united front to address their several challenges as cross-border traders. In-depth interviews were used to interview 60 women involved in cross-border trading within the Economic Commission of West African States region. These women were purposively sampled using snowballing method. The narratives of women do not only show their resilience or determination to survive, and sustain their businesses but also how they address their personal and private matters through these informal networks. The level of reciprocity and trust among these women is a major factor that accounts for and maintains these active networks. The paper recommends that policies designed to support these women should take into account the role of women’s informal networks as these are assets that could be built on to address the challenges of women in cross-border trading.