Women drive trade in least developed countries (LDCs), with many running small businesses across borders. But they face security risks and significant constraints in accessing productive and financial resources.
To help more women in these countries benefit from trade, UNCTAD trains policymakers on how to design and implement policies that tackle gender inequalities. It also trains academicians and representatives of civil society and the private sector so they can better contribute to this cause.
The online courses equip them with the knowledge to analyse the two-way relationship between trade and gender, and to formulate gender-equitable policies.
“This training has reinforced my desire to support women’s leadership and participation,” said Namizata Binaté-Fofana, one of the 104 participants who took the latest online course on the links between trade and gender.
Ms. Binaté-Fofana, a specialist in women’s empowerment and microfinance in rural areas, is a lecturer at Félix Houphouët Boigny University in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire. She’s also a technical advisor for the country’s Ministry of Women, Family and Children.
The five-week course, which focused on LDCs, took place between October and December 2022. UNCTAD delivered it in collaboration with the secretariat of the Enhanced Integrated Framework.
Trade and gender high on agenda
“The debate on trade and gender is high on the multilateral agenda and many countries are exploring ways to make their trade policy more beneficial to women,” said Simonetta Zarrilli, who leads UNCTAD’s programme on trade, gender and development.
But not all stakeholders fully understand how trade policy can contribute to women’s economic empowerment or hamper it, and how gender inequality affects a country’s trade performance.
“Our online courses are meant to bridge these knowledge gaps to advance the cause of gender equality in trade across the world,” she said.
Stronger capacity to make a difference
Ms. Binaté-Fofana said the course enhanced her capacity to mainstream gender issues in trade policy and “strengthen the integration of gender issues in research on development policies in West Africa.” It also equipped her to better contribute to debates on trade and gender at multilateral, regional and bilateral levels.
She said her new knowledge would help her improve the lot of women traders in the context of the implementation of the agreement on the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).
She’s contributing to the deployment of the digital platform Africa Trade Barriers developed by UNCTAD and the African Union to help remove non-tariff barriers to trade in Africa. She’s also involved in negotiations on the AfCFTA’s Protocol on Women and Youth in Trade.
Other participants also found the training useful. “The courses focused on an important but rather neglected issue in Africa: the economic empowerment of women and their contribution to the development process,” said Alexe Kitio, a legal officer at the Ministry of External Relations in Cameroon.
Over 1,700 people trained
UNCTAD has trained over 1,700 policymakers and other stakeholders from 152 countries since 2015.
Building on the success of previous editions of the course, in March 2023, UNCTAD will offer new training sessions focused on LDCs, in English and French. Also, a new course focused on women in e-commerce will take place in the second quarter of 2023.
![Canon (www.Canon-CNA.com) today announces the Colorado XL-series, a new platform of 3.4m printers that extends the proven advantages of Canon's UVgel technology to the 3.2m graphics market. Available in hybrid and roll-to-roll configurations, the modular, field upgradable platform powered by UVgel technology delivers great versatility and exceptional productivity for both flexible and rigid media applications from signage and décor to point of sale and packaging. The Colorado XL-series comprises two easy-to-operate models: the Colorado XL7 roll-to-roll printer and Colorado XL7 hybrid printer. The new series brings the benefits of UVgel to a new market segment with exceptional application versatility across a comprehensive range of media – from banner, paper, vinyl and films to soft signage, heat-sensitive materials, foam board, fluted polypropylene, acrylic, aluminium composite boards and cardboard – providing the flexibility to tackle diverse customer requirements. With print speeds of 70m² per hour in quality mode, 106m² per hour in production mode and up to 211m² per hour in express mode, the system delivers the productivity needed for demanding production environments while accommodating substrates up to 52mm/2 inches thick for rigid applications. The new platform includes multiple technology innovations, such as the UVgel 860 ink set, which has been optimised to cover a wide variety of both rigid and flexible applications. It also provides the proven benefits of UVgel: odourless and instant-dry prints, high mechanical and chemical robustness, dimensional stability due to low-temperature curing, excellent colour consistency, TPO [1] - and VCL [2] -free, and matte and gloss finish without the need of a separate varnish. The Colorado XL-series also incorporates new UVgel 850 PrintHeads. Each printhead has 4,544 nozzles and features automated built-in nozzle performance monitoring and compensation. A single printhead supports two colours simultaneously, so that only two printheads are required to print CMYK, plus an optional third if white is configured. Additionally, the Colorado XL-series has an agile and precise printhead carriage that features UVgel DynamicMotion Control to ensure exceptional print quality even with challenging media. Taking the UV LED curing process to the next level, the Colorado XL-series introduces UVgel FullBeam Curing. This technology uses a unique 3.4-metre-wide LED curing array that, combined with an ingenious mirror system, delivers consistent UV light dosing across the entire print width, guaranteeing exceptional print uniformity over large surfaces and enabling a wider colour gamut. Media handling is optimised by the new UVgel TRIdrive vacuum belt system, which features three interactive rollers and multiple powerful vacuum zones that reduce wrinkling and skewing by automatically detecting and correcting the media positioning. This results in highly repeatable media transport through the printer, ensuring accurate positioning both longitudinally and laterally and enabling razor-sharp applications. Optional features for the Colorado XL-series, which are already available on the highly successful and modular Colorado M-series, include: UVgel White for hassle-free white printing, FLXfinish+ for creative effects using matte or gloss or mixed matte and gloss on the same print without additional varnish, and FLXture for textured finishes that mimic materials like leather, wood or fabric. Mathew Faulkner, Director, Marketing & Innovation, Wide Format Printing Group, Canon EMEA, comments: "For the past decade, Canon has been at the forefront of the inkjet evolution in large format, with market-leading technologies including the Colorado roll-to-roll printer series powered by UVgel technology and the Arizona flatbed printers. Large format print providers are looking for systems that deliver high productivity, versatile applications and reliable quality while addressing the challenge of finding skilled operators – which is why Canon is launching our new, breakthrough Colorado XL-series, an addition to our portfolio that will set a new standard in productivity and versatility. “This innovative solution brings the proven advantages of our unique UVgel technology to the 3.2m market for the first time, combining it with extensive automation and a modular design that will enable customers to extend their application possibilities into markets such as packaging and décor. Print service providers already producing high-value signage and graphics can now leverage UVgel's distinctive finishes, including mixed gloss and matte effects and textured printing, at scale to stand out in these new markets. And with its hybrid capabilities, users can print both roll-to-roll and rigid applications on the same device, using the same ink, the same colour profiles and the same unique features and finishes. For brands, for example, this translates to seamless campaigns that span the full spectrum of applications, ensuring perfect consistency across campaign assets whether they're roll-fed graphics, rigid signage, packaging, or décor elements. This is particularly valuable when these different applications appear side by side in-store, where maintaining that consistent quality and finish elevates the entire brand experience that today's brands demand." The Colorado XL-series will be available from the beginning of 2026 via Canon’s direct sales organisations as well as from accredited partners. For more information about the Colorado XL-series, please visit: https://apo-opa.co/3WltKtM](https://businessinsights.africa/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/canon_prograf-218x150.png "Canon expands large format graphics production portfolio with new 3.4m Colorado XL-series")
