Group urged women to take the lead in driving growth, development

By Kingsley Chukwuka

Women in Nigeria have been urged to play a more active and frontal role to stimulate the growth of businesses and overall development in Nigeria, a group under the aegis of Nigeria Association of Women Entrepreneur (NAWE), has said.

NAWE also advised women to pursue leadership roles in their communities and the corporate world, so as to rise to the top echelon of decision making in order to champion policies and programmes that would ensure sustainable development.

President of the group, Barr. Vera Nadanusa who spoke to our correspondent in a telephone conversation on Monday, said she will provide a platform for women entrepreneurs to come together and share experiences, aimed at proffering ways to surmount the current economic realities and to proffer solutions to the various challenges posed by the nevel COVID-19.

Nadanusa said to turn the tide in favour of women-led businesses, she will go a notch higher to urge organisations and the government to work with NAWE, to help understand what the obstacles are and how they can be addressed.

She said there is a need for renewed commitment, internationally and regionally, to support women-led businesses.

“It is easy to see why NAWE is channeling its energy and resources to boosting women-led businesses and increasing their participation in trade.

We will work tirelessly to ensure job creation and financial emancipation”.

For this to happen, Nadanusa said it would require leveraging networks of women-led businesses to find potential synergies, facilitate trade among them and together advocate about their needs to policymakers.

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Our correspondent reports that the International Trade Centre (ITC) puts the share of women-owned companies participating in business at 20 per cent. ITC also said an estimated one billion women are unable to fully participate in the global economy.

In the developing countries, including Nigeria, about 36 per cent of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) are said to be partially or fully owned by women.

However, a global campaign to increase women participation in international trade has gained momentum.

Those behind the push say that gender equality is key to achieving the ‘2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, Daily Times reports.