The women who have a monopoly on the growing and trading of food crops in Ivory Coast are from the Guro tribe in the western part of the country. It is a region that has a high illiteracy rate and where families prefer to educate boys over girls.
Almost all of the Guro women seem to have the same track record. They attended only primary school and that is if they are lucky. So, most of them cannot read, write or even speak French properly. A handicap you would think? But when it comes to figures, they are unbeatable. They seem to all have a flair for business.
Ivorian "Rungis"
Ivory Coast’s “Guro Market” can be compared to “Rungis” in France: the biggest market for fresh foods, the main food outlet for the crowds.
Every day, trucks loaded with tons of cassavas, tomatoes, cabbage, eggplants, peppers and spices come from the west and south-west parts of the country to deliver their loads at this market.
Guro women do not hide the fact that they are proud of their dominance at this market, which they have created from scratch.
"It is purely own initiative that gave birth to this market. We started without any support from the municipality. At first it was just stalls scattered here and there. Today it is a bit more structured. We even have warehouses where we store our products to be sold later,” says trader Nan Lou, affectionately called the 'Dean' by her peers.
Guro women do not only look after the sales at the Guro Market. They are also present in the fields, while assuring the delivery of the crops to other urban markets.
"Basically, we have friends in rural areas who grow the crops which we collect and store in warehouses. Then, we rent trucks to transport them to Abidjan," says Boli Bi Célestine, another trader at the Guro Market.
Braving Mother Nature and security forces
The women’s journey from remote rural areas to city centers comes with its fair share of troubles.
“It’s a tall order, I can assure you!”says Nanti Lou Emilienne, a medical student who during the last semester break accompanied her mother, a Guro trader for two weeks in the fields.
"It's a constant battle. We first need to implore the mercy of Mother Nature, because when it rains heavily, the roads which are already in terrible conditions get worse. Consequently, we cannot sell our products which are left rotting in the warehouses," acknowledges Antoinette Zan, who is in the business for fifteen years.
"The many 'checkpoints' by security forces on the roads are an obstacle to the flow of food. A lot of time and money is wasted. Very often, you have to pay bribes to move further. Other times, because of lost time, we arrive late at your destinations with products that are not fresh anymore," says Antoinette.
Breaking a taboo
This food business is something that is helping the women of the “Guro Market” to educate their children whom in most cases are left behind by deserted or unemployed husbands.
But above all, there are two major reasons to push these women to engage in this business: to ensure food security in Ivory Coast and especially to break the gender taboo.
"With our success, many men and even women now understand that entrepreneurship is not an area exclusively reserved for men. We have just won a great victory, that of gender equality! It's a dream come true. We are proud,” says Anne bluntly.
Boli Bi, the administrator of the Women's Cooperative of the “Guro Market” is more humble about it: "Our motto is to save Ivory Coast from famine. It's hard, but thanks to our efforts, Abidjan, is always stocked with food. This is the meaning of our perpetual struggle.”
The Guro women are the invisible arms helping Ivory Coast at their own level to stay away from hunger. Without an academic education and braving a growingly difficult environment marked by violent political crisis, those anonymous heroines continue to ensure food security in the West African country.
The women who have a monopoly on the growing and trading of food crops in Ivory Coast are from the Guro tribe in the western part of the country. It is a region that has a high illiteracy rate and where families prefer to educate boys over girls.
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