The Municipal Chief Executive (MCE) for Ketu South, Nicholas Kwabla Worclachie, has assured cross-border women traders of the assembly's unwavering commitment to liaise with the relevant authorities in a bid to removing Non-Tariff Barriers (NTBs) that impede regional trade.The initiative he emphasised falls in line with President John Dramani Mahama's 24-hour economy agenda, which aims to drive inclusive economic growth through continuous productivityThe MCE gave this assurance when executives of the Ketu South Branch of National Cross Border Women Traders Association visited him to congratulate him on his appointment and confirmation as the new MCE for area.He acknowledged the vital role women traders play in facilitating economic inte­gration and sustaining livelihoods along the Ghana's eastern borders."Cross-border women traders are the backbone of regional commerce in this part of the country and we as well rec­ognise the challenges you faced including delays in processing of documents, the nu­merous checkpoints to informal payments but we as an assembly is determined to work with all stakeholders to address these non-tariff barriers," he added.Mr Worclachie indicated that remov­ing these obstacles was critical to making Ghana's trade corridors more efficient and competitive under the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) framework especially in enforcing the ECOWAS Trade liberalisation scheme to the fullest with women playing a key role in the implemen­tationThe MCE noted that the drive to support traders and streamline border operations will fall under broader strategies being adopted to realise the government's 24-hour economy vision.According to him, improving trade facilitation and creating an enabling envi­ronment for business across all hours is key to unlocking economic opportunities, particularly in border communities."We cannot talk about a 24-hour econo­my without ensuring that trade especially at our borders is seamless, secure, and inclusive women traders must be able to do business without fear of harassment or unnecessary bottlenecks," he stated.He applauded the founders, board and management Team of the Cross Border Women Traders Association for their timely initiative to come together and not only call but see to the implementation of ECOWAS trade protocols in collaboration with stakeholdersThe National Coordinator of the asso­ciation Mr Oscar Akaba-Norvixoxo said the association has adopted initiatives such securing identification cards for resident and non-resident members in accordance with ECOWAS protocol on cross border movement under the supervision of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration.He explained that association also have a data base developed for members to serve as a source for trade informa­tion sharing, capacity building on women traders rights and responsibility, training on customs procedures and compliance requirementHe noted that more needs to be done to remove the non-tariff barriers hence the call on the MCE to extend his administra­tive role to include women in trade from the assembly level.Mr Akaba-Norvixoxo appealed to the MCE to include members in the cross-bor­der business development committee of the assembly especially the grassroots daily traders whose inputs would help achieve the objectives of the committee. FROM; LAWRENCE VOMAFA-AKPALU, DENU