Thick Borders and Women in Informal Cross Border Trading in Africa. The Case of Zimbabwe

The paper debates the role of customs administrations as national gatekeepers at border posts and the implications of borders on cross-border transactions by women in the informal sector. The discussion shall be on African borders which have been identified as thick and unresponsive to the needs of women in cross border trading. Major issues under the debate revolves around the borders procedures and policies, number of border agencies, level of professionalism, flow of information on trade policies and other security sectors reform. The emerging discourse on trade and gender should define explicitly WICBT and their role in intra-regional trade