Lagos State Government, WEPDN, Celebrates IWD 2024

The Lagos State Ministry of Commerce, Cooperative, Trade and Investment ( MCCTI ) and the Women Entrepreneurs and Professionals Development Network ( WEPDN) have collaborated to celebrate its maiden edition of the International Women’s Day (IWD) 2024.

The President, WEPDN, Mrs. Affiong Ibanga, explained that the event is the culmination of an enormous collective effort between the Ministry of Commerce, Cooperatives, Trade and Investment, Lagos State in Collaboration with WEPDN to explore ways of expanding the frontiers of women inclusion in the scheme of things especially at the grass root and the community level where the bulk of our women reside.

Ibanga stated this on the sidelines of the event organised by the association in collaboratiom with the Lagos State Ministry of Commerce, Cooperatives, Trade and Investment to celebrate International Women’s Day (IWD) 2024 themed “Inspire inclusion: Economic inclusion of women entrepreneurs NANOs/MSMEs at the grassroots/community levels” in Lagos State.

“It is my ardent desire that this programme will help in taking our young ones especially women off the streets to productive ventures aimed at giving this vulnerable women the opportunity to negotiate their livelihoods on their own terms,” she added.

She emphasised the need for financial institutions to seek ways to support women in businesses with a single digit rate at five per cent to achieve inclusive economic growth.

“We want the financial institutions to come down on their interest rates and most of their requirements too for example the collateral while also finding ways to accommodate women as far as access to loan is concerned.

We need an interest that we can manage for example like 5 per cent that would be easy to pay back,” she said.

According to her, access to finance is still the major challenge hindering women in businesses in the country.

“The major challenge hindering women in entrepreneurship is access to financing and we find it difficult to meet up with the requirements of the financial institutions and that has put a barrier to growth in women businesses and we are trying to see how we can get them to understand that empowering women is empowering the nation,” she added.

She said WEPDN is a pioneer professional women group in Nigeria with focus on tackling the challenges that women entrepreneurs and professionals face such as learning new skills, lack of finance for expansion, low investment and inability to access the lucrative export markets for its products and services as well as struggles associated with poverty, corrupt power systems, and lack of prospects.

Also speaking at the event, the Cluster Head for Agric, WEPDN, Sarat Onibudo, said it is envisioned that the collaboration will set a clear part for the empowerment of women to be self-reliant.

“Our aim is to provide a platform for the promotion of women businesses, access to markets, international exposure as well as the opportunity to exhibit their innovative ideas, products, and services while also supporting the women at the grass root and community level through access to funds, access to markets and mentorship,” she said.

In her words, “WEPDN’s role at the event was to showcase women entrepreneurs and by extension, through the collaboration of Lagos State, we have been able to extend that initiative to the grassroot. The event is an inclusion because we are carrying all women along and not leaving anyone behind.”