Gender Barriers in Kenya's Digital Trade Spotlighted at the 2026 WTO Chairs Programme Conference
The 2026 World Trade Organization (WTO) Chairs Programme (WCP) Annual Conference, held in Geneva, Switzerland, from 1–3 July 2026. brought together Chairholders, academics, and policymakers from 39 universities across Africa, Asia, and Latin America to explore the future of the multilateral trading system and strengthen cross-border academic collaboration.
A key highlight of this year's conference was the launch of a joint report on Digital Trade and Regulatory Frameworks (2026), developed in collaboration with the Organisation Internationale de la Francophonie (OIF). The report highlights the transformative impact of digital trade for an inclusive global economy. The conference also provided a platform for researchers to present evidence-based studies on emerging trade issues, including digital trade, sustainable trade, and food security, with the aim of informing international trade policy.
The University of Nairobi was represented by Prof. Tabitha Kiriti-Nga’nga, Professor of Economics and Principal Investigator of the Women in Leadership Programme at the African Women Studies Centre. Prof. Kiriti presented research examining the opportunities and gender-specific barriers shaping women's participation in Kenya's digital trade ecosystem.
Her presentation demonstrated that, while digital trade offers immense potential to drive inclusive economic growth, many women remain unable to fully benefit due to persistent structural inequalities. Expanding access to digital markets can reduce business costs, create flexible employment opportunities, improve financial inclusion, and strengthen participation in regional and global markets. However, these benefits are not equally shared.
The study identified several opportunities that position Kenya as a regional leader in digital trade, including a vibrant digital ecosystem, widespread mobile money adoption, growing e-commerce platforms, and expanding cross-border trade. In addition, the study highlighted significant barriers affecting women entrepreneurs, including unequal access to digital devices and reliable internet, limited digital literacy, inadequate access to finance, restrictive social norms, cybersecurity concerns, and logistical challenges.
Prof. Kiriti emphasized that these challenges extend beyond technology. Deep-rooted inequalities in education, asset ownership, unpaid care responsibilities, and prevailing social norms continue to limit women's participation in the digital economy. Addressing these barriers requires investments in affordable digital technologies, expanded digital skills training, improved access to finance, targeted support for women entrepreneurs, and stronger gender-disaggregated data to guide policymaking. Her presentation also pointed to important policy gaps. Although Kenya has made progress in developing digital trade and digital economy policies, existing frameworks often lack explicit gender objectives, targeted interventions for women-led enterprises, and robust mechanisms for monitoring gender outcomes. She called for gender-responsive digital trade policies that mainstream gender considerations across legislation, programmes, and implementation strategies to ensure that women can participate fully and equitably in the digital economy.
Beyond the research presentations, the conference featured high-level dialogues between WTO Chairholders, the WTO Director-General, and the Academic Advisory Board to align academic research with emerging global trade priorities. Participants also collaborated on discussions to modernize university curricula in international trade law and economics, shared innovative teaching resources and analytical tools, and strengthened South to South research partnerships across Africa, Asia, and Latin America. These engagements reinforced the critical role of academic research in shaping evidence-based trade policy and supporting informed decision-making by governments and other stakeholders.
About the WTO Chairs Programme
The WTO Chairs Programme is a flagship initiative of the World Trade Organization that strengthens research, teaching, and policy engagement on international trade in universities across developing and least-developed countries. Institutions are selected through a rigorous, competitive process based on excellence in research, curriculum development, policy relevance, and outreach. Through financial and technical support, the Programme enables universities to build capacity, generate policy-relevant evidence, and contribute to a more inclusive and effective multilateral trading system.
