The Nigeria Export Promotion Council (NEPC) has trained and supported no fewer than 8,000 women entrepreneurs on digitalisation, packaging, and labeling since 2019 to boost trade.
Mrs. Nonye Ayeni, Director-General and Chief Executive Officer of NEPC, disclosed this on Tuesday in Abuja at the Hershowcase Event, themed “Trade Beyond Borders.”
The event, organized by NEPC in collaboration with the International Trade Centre (ITC), aimed to facilitate business networking, market connections, and product exhibitions for women-led businesses.
Ayeni stated that NEPC has provided women-led businesses with certifications to enable them to access different markets.“
The council has supported women-led businesses through various initiatives, including capacity-building programs to enhance their export readiness and competitiveness.“
These programs focus on export procedures and documentation, export market strategy, packaging, labeling, branding, as well as digitalisation and e-commerce.
“Under this initiative, about 125 women have been sponsored to acquire certifications such as Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP), Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and ISO 22000 free of charge,” she said.
Ayeni also highlighted that NEPC was selected as one of the Business Support Organisations (BSOs) to implement phase one of the Women Exporters in the Digital Economy (WEIDE) project.
She noted that this selection followed the launch of the World Trade Organization/International Trade Centre (WTO/ITC) WEIDE Fund project in February 2024.
“Only four BSOs were selected out of 600 applications, and NEPC was chosen to represent Nigeria as the only African country on the list.“
This is great news for the country and for our women as the WEIDE Fund aims to support women entrepreneurs in developing and least-developed countries to adopt digital technologies and expand their online presence,” she said.
Ayeni added that Nigeria joined the ITC SheTrades Initiative in 2016, committing to supporting the UN goal of connecting three million women worldwide to the global market by 2021.
As the SheTrade Hub in Nigeria, NEPC has partnered with ITC and other agencies, registering over 5,000 Nigerian women entrepreneurs since 2018.
Dr. Jumoke Oduwole, Minister of Industry, Trade, and Investment, emphasized that the government recognizes women as a vital pillar of the economy.
Oduwole stated that women have always played a central role in Africa’s economic activity, from cross-border trade to managing businesses and producing high-value export products. She noted that SheTrades Nigeria was established to eliminate barriers and empower Nigerian women in trade.“
SheTrades provides women entrepreneurs with access to key knowledge, resources, and networks, supports policymakers on inclusive policy reforms, and leverages public-private partnerships to amplify the impact of our work,” she said.(NAN)