By Chijioke Kingsley
Abuja (Sundiata Post) – A national women group in the country, the Nigeria Association of Women Entrepreneurs (NAWE), has held a 3-day retreat in Minna, the Niger State Capital, for women seeking to empower them for a better future with the requisite skills for success.
In her opening remarks, President of NAWE, Barr. Vera Ndanusa said undeniably, the impact of women in leadership cannot be sidelined. She said women have played an integral role in the society and shaped the culture of their communities and their larger societies through mentorship, decision making and lifting other women up on the ladder.
According to Ndanusa, the voices of women are very important to make catalytic decisions. “One cannot talk about the Sustainable Development Goals without talking about the role women play in this”.
She pledged her continuous support to raising young women leaders to be the anchor in the society to ensure the legacy continues.
“We need to transform generals while breaking barriers for women’s leadership and increasing their leadership. It is my wish to see that women are positioned to tap into the economy and overseas markets”, Ndanusa said.
On his part the out-gone Governor of Niger State, Alhaji Abubakar Sani Bello, said measures are being taken to increase women economic values in the State.
Bello said for instance discussions were on to ban the exportation of Shea nut use in making Shea butter in the State aimed at increasing revenue generation for women.
Our reports that Shea butter be is a fat extracted from the nut of the African shea tree.
However, the out-gone governor promised to make a case for NAWE with the new Governor, ensuring that the women group get the desired attention in the new government.
Consequently, the retreat gave birth to several key outcomes and recommendations, part of which NAWE was recommended to continue to advocate for improved Access to Finance, Mentoring Programs, and Business Development Support for women entrepreneurs.
“Additionally, fostering partnerships between banks, government agencies, and entrepreneurial organizations can further enhance the ecosystem for women-led businesses”, the retreat suggests.
“By implementing the recommendations and building on the momentum generated by this retreat, a thriving environment for women entrepreneurs can be fostered, creating a brighter future for economic prosperity and gender equality”, knowledge gathered from the retreat revealed.
