Uganda traders appeal for more banks in South Sudan

 

The women have said there are no bank branches close to markets or towns they trade in.

 

The nearest bank branch is at least five kilometers away and risky to travel and deposit their earnings from sales because of the perils along the way.

 

Margaret Auma, chairperson Elegu Women Cross Border Traders Association said they need a bank to help improve the safety of their incomes.

 

"Women are losing money when they go into South Sudan. Women get paid after selling their items but keeping the money is a problem. We need a bank where we can deposit the money and withdraw from Uganda," Auma said.

 

Auma in an interview explained that DFCU Bank branch in Elegu Town was shut down after rain damaged the building and was transferred to Gulu Town. Elegu is a town in the Northern Region, which sits across the international border from the town of Nimule, South Sudan.

 

She added that KCB Bank has a branch in South Sudan but it is too far for women to get to. She said at the moment they are forced to move with cash and some of them have ended up being robbed.

 

On the possibility of using mobile money agents, she said showing money to some of the agents has been risky because while attempting to deposit money they have ended up being robbed.

 

She said women from  Uganda sell foodstuffs like maize, beans, groundnuts and dried cassava across the border enabling them to earn incomes. Auma noted that insecurity in South Sudan had caused banks and other financial institutions fail to provide services. But the general security situation was much better for them to operate now.

 

 

 

Cross-border trading is an important source of income for many women living close to the borders. The network of traders often involves other women within the country. But more policies are required to encourage informal trading by women, experts say. They are more than likely to benefit from policies that address problems associated with access to credit, social safety nets, transport, foreign currency exchange, storage facilities, health care, and sanitation.

 

Daily, millions of women in Africa are engaged in one form of trade or another, either within their countries or across national borders. It is mostly women who conduct cross-border trade, delivering goods and services according to the World Bank. They also run the majority of agricultural small landholdings. However, women traders' contribution to national economies has become essential in boosting trade in Africa.

 

Trade policies and insecurity in the region are not favourable to women. The constraints women face in trade undermine Africa's efforts to realise its full trade potential.