Migration contributes to and benefits from trade. Small-scale cross-border trade can be defined as a form of trade that is not recorded in official statistics and that is carried out by small enterprises at the borders of neighbouring countries.

The International Organisation for Migration (IOM) conducted a study in June 2023 on small-scale cross-border trade between Mauritania and Senegal, two neighbouring countries. The study was conducted at the Senegal-Mauritania border, at the Rosso and Gouraye flow monitoring points. These two border-crossing points were chosen on the basis of their strategic importance for the study because of the high number of travellers passing through them every day compared to other cross-border points between these two countries.

The study indicates that the collection activities made it possible to obtain information on: the flows of small traders and their profile; the experiences and needs of cross-border traders travelling between Mauritania and Senegal; their demographic and socio-economic profile, their countries of origin and destination; the reasons for their trip; their expectations and ambitions, their migration experience and their needs during their journey.

As part of this project, data collected in Rosso indicate that 43% of individuals are adult men, 40% are adult women, 6% are girls and 11% are boys. As for Gouraye, 29% were adult men, 45% adult women, 14% girls and 12% boys. Individual surveys showed a predominance of women traders over men, with 67 per cent women versus 33 per cent men.

The types of goods traded by small traders range from food to electronic equipment (5%). The majority of traders sell perishable (53%) or non-perishable (24%) food. Cosmetics and household goods account for 26 percent of goods, followed by live animals (8 per cent) and other foodstuffs (22 per cent).

The average monthly income of more than 54% of the traders surveyed is below 5,000 Mauritanian ouguiyas (MRU) which equates to less than 88,000 CFA francs (XOF) or 144 US dollars (USD). Just over 25 percent of respondents claimed to have an average monthly income ranging between 5,000 and 10,000 MRU (88,000-177,000 XOF or 144-288 USD) and only 21 percent reported higher monthly incomes than 10,000 MRU (177,000 XOF or 288 USD).

Vulnerability noted among women

A number of vulnerable cases were reported by participants as part of the Small-Scale Cross-Border Trade (SSCBT). These are mainly women, sometimes with disabilities, young girls, as well as men often elderly and / or suffering from diabetes, especially in Gouraye. These populations are exposed to an increased risk of danger, considering the crossing of the border that is done for almost all travellers by canoe, as observed during individual surveys and confirmed during discussions. Participants reported that security measures are restricted and that in the event of an incident, passengers rely on the boatmen and themselves for rescue.

Prices deemed too high

Small traders face several difficulties in carrying out their cross-border activity, as revealed during group discussions. Indeed, crossing the border is costly both in terms of transport and taxes. According to key players, customs tariffs applicable to  their goods are considered too high for the limited revenue generated by their trade. Traders often resort to debt in order to avoid having some of their goods confiscated.. Also, the long queues at border crossings caused by administrative regulations and the need to fill up pirogues mean that they lose valuable time that could be devoted to their business.

Cross-border traders and communities go hand in hand

In addition, the results of the study show that relations between traders and cross-border communities were described as good by all the participants, with both actors coexisting without problems. Sometimes conflicts arise between customers and merchants or between major and small merchants, the latter being accused of occupying a key space in storefronts, thus reducing the visibility of windows. However, these incidents were rarely noted by the participants and much of the discussion focused on conflicts between traders and border authorities.

In addition, the study shows that with the application of border restrictions, small traders have suffered a considerable or total loss of their earnings. As a result, savings made in the hope of investing in goods had to be spent to meet the basic needs of families. When cross-border activities resumed between Mauritania and Senegal, traders had no choice but to go into debt in order to acquire new goods and resume their commercial activity.