Men  along border districts are frustrating the efforts of their wives to engage in cross-border trade, a meeting between Rwanda Public Private Dialogue and the business community in Musanze District was told last week.

According to Rose Kanyange, an expert at Private Sector Federation (PSF), many women have complained to the chamber, accusing their husbands of stopping them from participating in cross-border business.

She said the action has affected initiatives aimed at promoting women economic empowerment in the country. Kanyange added that business women are also denied loans by financial institutions because their husbands refuse to give them collateral to secure the loans. "This has retarded business operations of women in the country,” she added.

She, however, noted that the chamber of women at PSF would educate the public about gender equality to end such practices.

Monica Sanyu, the women chamber director general, noted that the chamber was going to start a drive codenamed "Don’t harm campaign” that aims at mentoring and sensitising the public, especially men about gender equality. "Women play a significant role in the country’s economic development and should have equal rights on the ‘national cake’. That’s why the government started initiatives to promote the status of women in Rwanda and improve the way of doing business in general,” she added.

Rwanda is recognised as one of the leading countries that promote gender equality in the world.