By Felix Khanoba
The Nigerian Export Promotion Council (NEPC) has facilitated the disbursement of nearly ₦1 billion in grants to 128 women-owned export-oriented Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) under the Women Exporters in the Digital Economy (WEIDE) Fund, an initiative aimed at strengthening women-led businesses through digital trade and access to international markets.
The Executive Director and Chief Executive Officer of NEPC, Mrs. Nonye Ayeni, disclosed this during a town hall meeting with exporters held recently in Lagos.
According to Ayeni, 121 women-owned businesses received Discovery Grants of $5,000 each, while seven enterprises were awarded Booster Grants of $15,000 each, bringing the total value of grants disbursed to $710,000, equivalent to ₦979.8 million.
She explained that the WEIDE Fund is a collaborative initiative of the International Trade Centre (ITC) and the World Trade Organization (WTO), supported financially by the United Arab Emirates (UAE), the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 Legacy Fund and the Kingdom of Bahrain.
The initiative is designed to improve the competitiveness of women-led enterprises by providing access to finance, digital skills, business development support and opportunities in global markets.
Globally, the $50 million WEIDE Fund seeks to bridge the digital financing gap and enable women-owned MSMEs to expand through digital trade.
Ayeni attributed NEPC’s selection as the Business Support Organisation (BSO) for the programme in Africa to the council’s implementation of trade facilitation reforms and strategic initiatives aligned with the Federal Government’s Renewed Hope Agenda.
She noted that NEPC emerged from over 600 Business Support Organisations across Africa that applied for the role. Nigeria was subsequently selected as one of only four beneficiary countries worldwide, alongside the Dominican Republic, Jordan and Mongolia, owing to its vibrant entrepreneurial ecosystem, export potential and commitment to advancing women’s participation in international trade.
The NEPC boss said the level of interest shown by Nigerian women entrepreneurs reflected the country’s enormous export potential.
According to her, the WEIDE Secretariat in Geneva received about 67,000 applications from Nigerian women-owned export businesses through NEPC, covering a wide range of economic sectors. She noted that the figure was the highest among the four participating countries.
Following a rigorous multi-stage screening process that emphasized transparency and merit, 146 enterprises were initially selected as beneficiaries under the grant programme.
The beneficiaries cut across key segments of Nigeria’s non-oil export sector, including agro-processing, food and beverages, textiles and fashion, cosmetics, manufacturing, creative industries and other value-added export businesses.
The selected businesses were grouped into two categories: the Discovery Track, comprising 124 SMEs receiving $5,000 each to support their entry into digital exports, and the Booster Track, made up of 17 SMEs receiving $30,000 each to expand existing export operations.
Beyond the financial grants, beneficiaries also participated in three intensive capacity-building programmes held in Lagos and Abuja to improve their competitiveness in international markets.
The training covered export readiness, digital trade, e-commerce, branding and marketing, business planning, financial management, market access strategies, sustainability and the effective use of digital platforms to increase export sales.
NEPC said the combination of financial support and technical training is expected to drive long-term business growth, improve export competitiveness, create jobs and strengthen the participation of Nigerian women-owned enterprises in regional and global trade.
The council added that the WEIDE Fund aligns with the Federal Government’s Renewed Hope Agenda by promoting non-oil exports, inclusive economic growth and women’s economic empowerment.
It reaffirmed its commitment to collaborating with local and international partners to create more opportunities for women-owned businesses, enabling them to build resilient enterprises, penetrate new export markets and contribute to Nigeria’s economic diversification.
