NECA’S Network of Entrepreneurial Women holds dialogue with MSMEs market leaders

By Chukwuma Umeorah

NECA’S Network of Entrepreneurial Women (NNEW) in collaboration with The Women’s Voice and Leadership Nigeria project (WVL) on Tuesday held a dialogue with market leaders to discuss ideas on building the capacity business women across the country enriching them with knowledge on how to grow their businesses.

Speaking at the dialogue which held in Lagos, the National President of NNEW, Fumilayo Arowoogun, said that the reason for this dialogue is to find common grounds on how to continue the project with Action Aid Nigeria under the Global Action Canada project with particular emphasis on training market women with the required financial knowledge to make market sustainable.

“This project started about 4yrs ago and we have gone round all the markets in Lagos training them on financial costing and how to make their businesses sustainable while building profits.

We also told them about taxation and the reason why they need to pay taxes and we also taught them on speaking up against gender violence in and around markets.”

She explained that the advocacy involved all relevant stakeholders including the government, marketers and all the Iyalojas of all the markets with careful and well thought deliberations.

Arowoogun also called on the government to create a conducive business environment for businesses by developing good and stable economic policies while also making funding available to women in business.

Also speaking at the program the Iyaloja of Orisubare market, Dupe Ojo said that the government can help the markets with loans.

“We can have a revolving loan but not the type they used to have before. Wity government intervention, such loans would go round everybody and all the markets they are going to be doing that, you will have the Iyalojas there to make sure it goes round… not every time grants.

Because at times when people collect grants, they just squash it and that the end, but when we have a revolving loan that has the members in the market with everybody involved in the program it goes a long way.” She explained.

Ojo also urged the market women present to leverage the know from the dialogue to expand and grow their businesses.