The Federal Government has identified women-led businesses as a critical driver in Nigeria’s quest to build a one trillion-dollar economy while boosting the country’s competitiveness within the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).
The Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Dr. Jumoke Oduwole, made this known on Friday in Abuja during a high-level colloquium organised by the ministry.
According to Oduwole, the gathering was designed to examine practical ways of improving access to finance and expanding market opportunities for women entrepreneurs across the country.
She described AfCFTA as a game-changing initiative that connects more than 1.3 billion people within a market worth over three trillion dollars, noting that Nigerian women entrepreneurs must be deliberately supported to tap into the vast continental opportunities.
The minister stressed that improved access to funding, wider market reach and stronger institutional backing would significantly accelerate industrial growth, create jobs and deepen trade activities.
She noted that empowering women in business aligns with Nigeria’s broader strategy to grow its exports, strengthen industrial production and expand participation in intra-African trade as part of the one trillion-dollar economic vision.
Also speaking, the Minister of State for Industry, Sen. John Enoh, said Nigeria’s influence within AfCFTA would largely depend on its ability to develop competitive industries capable of producing and exporting goods on a large scale.
Enoh observed that women already play a major role in key sectors such as agriculture, retail, textiles and manufacturing but continue to face obstacles in accessing finance and entering broader markets.
In her remarks, the Minister of Women Affairs, Hajiya Imaan Sulaiman-Ibrahim, emphasised the need for gender-responsive trade policies to fully harness the opportunities presented by AfCFTA and expand women’s involvement in business and enterprise.
She revealed that her ministry had signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment aimed at widening financial access for women entrepreneurs preparing for export markets.
“The partnership will support export readiness training, improve digital trade capacity, and create a national database of women-owned enterprises,” she said.
The Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, Mrs Didi Walson-Jack, also highlighted the importance of women’s participation in advancing Africa’s trade prospects and Nigeria’s wider economic transformation agenda.
Meanwhile, the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment, Amb. Nura Rimi, said empowering women entrepreneurs would significantly boost Nigeria’s non-oil export sector.
Rimi explained that the colloquium was organised to deepen collaboration between government agencies, investors and private sector stakeholders in order to support women-owned businesses and enhance Nigeria’s competitive edge across Africa.
He was represented at the event by Mrs. Gertrude Orji, Director of Investment Promotion in the ministry.
