Unilorin Scholar: Abiola Adimula Leads Groundbreaking African Continental free Trade Study

 Unilorin Scholar: Abiola Adimula Leads Groundbreaking African Continental free Trade  Study

By Idris Alooma 

A  distinguished Peace Scholar and Gender & Law expert, Ruth Abiola Adimula, Associate Professor at the Centre for Peace and Strategic Studies, University of Ilorin, Nigeria, has led a groundbreaking study examining the impact of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) in West Africa.


The research, titled “Impact of the African Continental Free Trade Area Agreement on Women Cross-Border Traders in West Africa,” was conducted in collaboration with an interdisciplinary team: Prof. Adebusuyi Adeniran (Department of Sociology and Anthropology, Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife), Dr. Catherine Atinuke Adegoke (Management Consultant, Ilorin), and Ayodeji Adeyemo (Canada-based Business Lawyer). The study has been published in a Q1-ranked international journal, African Renaissance Studies, by Taylor & Francis Online—underscoring its global relevance and scholarly impactful act.


Beyond assessing awareness levels of AfCFTA and documenting the lived experiences of women cross-border traders, the study delivers robust, actionable policy recommendations.


 These recommendations are directed at national, regional, continental, and global stakeholders, with a clear objective: bridging the gap between AfCFTA’s policy framework and its practical realities for women engaged in cross-border trade across West Africa.


Notably, Adimula, a Consultant with the Trade and Gender Units of the ECOWAS Commission, brings additional institutional depth to this work. 


She also serves as a Member of the Tax Appeal Tribunal (Lagos Panel 2) under the Federal Ministry of Finance and sits on the Governing Council of the Chartered Institute of Taxation of Nigeria.


This landmark study contributes meaningfully to ongoing conversations on

inclusive trade, gender equity, and the operationalization of AfCFTA—positioning women cross-border traders at the centre of Africa’s economic integration agenda.

adimula.ra@unilorin.edu.ng Link: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/18186874.2025.2598599?forwardService=showFullText&tokenAccess=ZFMCV2G6IERWIYXUHJEX&tokenDomain=eprints&target=10.1080%2F18186874.2025.2598599


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