Economic Empowerment
Source: Daily Trust
The African Women's Entrepreneurship Programme (AWEP) has called for inclusiveness of women entrepreneurs in building the Nigerian economy.
The association at a one-day exhibition fair and entrepreneurship Academy Workshop with the theme, 'Rebuilding the Nigerian Economy Through Women Inclusiveness' in Abuja on Tuesday, provided an opportunity for women entrepreneurs to exhibit their products and services as a way of networking with others.
The minister of state, Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment, Hajiya Aisha Abubakar, in her address, said inclusiveness speaks to the quality of including all sectors of society and in that case, women, for example in national rebuilding.
Hajiya Aisha also said women must learn all they could to succeed and then fight to win.
AWEP national president, Zainab Jaji, said the programme was organised to ensure more women are included in the economic development of the nation. "More women whose skills are upgraded, more women who have information on where to access fund to enhance their businesses are included," she said.
The national vice president of AWEP, Mrs. Angela Ajala, said the workshop focused on getting women in Abuja that were into different products and services to begin to showcase their products for visibility and branding.
AWEP FCT Coordinator, Hajiya Samira Jibir, said the enabling environment that the government is trying to create for SMEs is been crippled by multiple taxation and levies and therefore called for harmonization of legal levies and taxes.
One of the exhibitors, Anthea Peteru of 'Moin-moin Expresso' said, the workshop was an eye opener as women in different businesses and services come together to brainstorm on the way forward.
By Olayemi John-Mensah