The Nigerian Export Promotion Council, NEPC, has facilitated the disbursement of nearly N1 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, a landmark initiative aimed at empowering female entrepreneurs to leverage digital technologies and expand into international markets.
The Executive Director of NEPC, Mrs. Nonye Ayeni, disclosed this during a town hall meeting with exporters in Lagos.
She said 121 women-owned businesses received Discovery Grants of US$5,000 each, while seven businesses were awarded Booster Grants of US$15,000 each, bringing the total amount disbursed to US$710,000, equivalent to about N979.8 million.
According to a statement by the Deputy Director and Head of Corporate Communications at NEPC, Aliu Seidu Sadiq, the WEIDE Fund is a joint initiative of the International Trade Centre, ITC, and the World Trade Organization, WTO, with financial support from the United Arab Emirates, UAE, the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 Legacy Fund, and the Kingdom of Bahrain.
The initiative is designed to enhance the competitiveness of women-led businesses by providing access to finance, business development support, digital skills and international market opportunities.
The US$50 million global fund seeks to bridge the digital financing gap and enable women-led MSMEs to scale their businesses through digital trade.
Ayeni said the Council’s implementation of trade facilitation reforms and strategic projects in line with the Federal Government’s Renewed Hope Agenda enabled NEPC to emerge as the preferred Business Support Organisation, BSO, for the WEIDE Fund from Africa, ahead of more than 600 organisations that applied for the role.
She noted that Nigeria was selected as one of only four beneficiary countries globally, alongside the Dominican Republic, Jordan and Mongolia, in recognition of its vibrant entrepreneurial ecosystem, strong export potential and commitment to advancing women’s participation in international trade.
The NEPC boss described the overwhelming response to the programme as a reflection of the enormous potential of Nigerian women entrepreneurs.
According to her, the WEIDE Secretariat in Geneva received more than 67,000 applications from Nigerian women-owned export businesses across diverse sectors of the economy, the highest among the four beneficiary countries.
Following a rigorous, transparent and merit-based selection process, 146 enterprises emerged as final beneficiaries of the grant scheme.
She explained that the successful applicants cut across key sectors of the non-oil export economy, including agro-processing, food and beverages, textiles and fashion, cosmetics, manufacturing, creative industries and other value-added export businesses.
Beyond the grants, beneficiaries participated in intensive capacity-building programmes in Lagos and Abuja, where they received training in 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 grow export sales.
Ayeni said the integrated support package was designed not only to provide financial assistance but also to strengthen the long-term competitiveness of women-owned businesses, promote job creation and enhance sustainable participation in regional and global trade.
She 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.
The NEPC, she said, remains committed to working with local and international partners to expand opportunities for women-owned export businesses, enabling them to build resilient enterprises, access new international markets and contribute significantly to Nigeria’s economic diversification drive.
