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From Juliana Taiwo-Obalonye, Abuja
Founder, Women Entrepreneurs Alliance (WenA), Aisha Babangida, has issued a clarion call for Nigeria to move decisively from mere dialogue to concrete actions that will spur sustainable growth for Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs), especially those led by women.
Speaking at the fifth WenA High-Level Conference in Abuja, she emphasised the urgent need for collaboration among government, private sector and development partners. “Today is about solutions. We are moving beyond discussions to implementable strategies that empower entrepreneurs to grow sustainably.”
Highlighting practical steps, she announced the launch of new WenA initiatives aimed at helping women-owned businesses secure necessary documentation, comply with regulations and gain access to lucrative public procurement opportunities.
She praised Kaduna State’s gender-inclusive reforms as an exemplary blueprint for the nation, stating, “Kaduna has shown what’s possible. Now it’s time for Nigeria to follow.”
She elaborated on the state’s innovative approach, noting, “Their reforms, waiving registration fees for women, cutting tender fees and mandating female representation on procurement boards, are the kind of progressive actions that open doors for women entrepreneurs to access markets and funding.”
Drawing from personal experience, Babangida shared the early challenges WenA faced navigating regulatory and tax complexities.
She stressed the importance of advocacy to dismantle barriers, saying, “Passion alone was not enough. The paperwork, the constant changes was overwhelming. If it’s this hard for us, what about women in rural communities with no support system? That’s why advocacy is essential to ensure that those who have the courage to build are not deterred by the systems meant to support them.”
Her vision extends to training and certifying women-led enterprises to meet procurement and compliance standards, positing, “By building capacity and awareness, we can unlock greater opportunities for women-led businesses to thrive and drive economic transformation.
“Our goal is a Nigeria, where gender equality is the norm, where SMEs are supported by policies that foster growth and where every woman with a big idea has a real chance to succeed. Empowering SMEs, especially women-led enterprises, is empowering Nigeria’s future,” she stressed.
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Concluding her keynote, she reiterated a passionate call for collective progress: “Let’s move from dialogue to action. Let’s ensure the policies we advocate are translated into tangible support for the businesses that drive our economy. Let’s build a Nigeria where no dream is limited by gender or circumstance.”
In her goodwill message representing the Presidency, Senior Special Assistant to the President on Entrepreneurship Development, Chalya Shagaya, reaffirmed the Federal Government’s commitment to easing the cost of doing business under President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda.
He assured, “This administration understands the struggles faced by the SMEs, from energy costs to logistics and regulatory hurdles, and is actively implementing reforms to ease business operations, enhance market access and expand financing opportunities.”
Shagaya highlighted the ongoing fiscal harmonisation efforts aimed at simplifying taxation and said the government was determined to “turn policies into prosperity and transform ambition into achievement.”
Officials from the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) detailed Nigeria’s Tax Reform Agenda that will exempt small enterprises earning up to ₦100 million annually from income tax, starting from January 2026.
The reforms are designed to “encourage formalisation rather than penalising growth,” reduce compliance burdens and strengthen enterprise competitiveness, according to a Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) spokesperson.
From the development sector, Patience Ekechukwu of UN Women Nigeria, stressed the critical need to convert inclusion policies into measurable economic benefits for women entrepreneurs, noting that women own 43 percent of Nigeria’s micro and small enterprises but remain largely informal and underfunded. “The challenge is not just inclusion, it’s transformation. Policies must lead to real, lived economic progress for women.”
Ekechukwu urged enhanced cooperation among ministries, private sector actors and organizations like WenA to close gender financing gaps and expand opportunities for rural women through digital inclusion and policy reform.
The conference, themed, “Translating Policy into Practice: Cost Reduction and Tax Reform for Sustainable Economic Growth,” convened government officials, industry leaders, development partners and entrepreneurs to craft actionable strategies for SME advancement.
The event also featured an awards session celebrating outstanding SME innovations, with ₦5 million awarded to the Most Scalable Business in North-Central Nigeria and cash prizes for runners-up. Certificates of excellence honoured resilient SMEs driving inclusive economic growth, and free business registrations were promised to 50 women entrepreneurs to reduce entry barriers and bolster the nation’s entrepreneurial ecosystem.
