No fewer than 128 women-owned export businesses have received grants worth nearly ₦980 million under the Women Exporters in the Digital Economy (WEIDE) Fund, following the successful intervention of the Nigerian Export Promotion Council (NEPC).
The Executive Director/Chief Executive Officer of NEPC, Mrs. Nonye Ayeni, disclosed this during a town hall meeting with exporters in Lagos.
She said 121 women-owned Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) received Discovery Grants of 5,000 dollars each, while seven businesses were awarded Booster Grants of 15,000 dollars each, bringing the total disbursement to 710,000 dollars, equivalent to about ₦979.8 million.
Ayeni explained that the WEIDE Fund is a joint initiative of the International Trade Centre (ITC) and the World Trade Organisation (WTO), with funding support from the United Arab Emirates (UAE), the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 Legacy Fund, and the Kingdom of Bahrain.
She said the programme is designed to empower women entrepreneurs by improving access to finance, digital skills, business development support and international export opportunities.
According to her, Nigeria emerged as one of only four countries selected globally for the pilot programme after the NEPC outperformed over 600 Business Support Organisations across Africa seeking to participate.
The other beneficiary countries are the Dominican Republic, Jordan and Mongolia.
Ayeni said the achievement reflects Nigeria’s growing export potential and the Federal Government’s commitment to promoting women-led businesses under President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda.
She revealed that the WEIDE Secretariat in Geneva received more than 67,000 applications from Nigerian women entrepreneurs—the highest among the four participating countries.
Following a rigorous screening process, 146 businesses were shortlisted, while 128 eventually qualified for grant disbursement.
The beneficiaries operate across key non-oil export sectors, including agro-processing, food and beverages, textiles, fashion, cosmetics, manufacturing and the creative industry.
NEPC’s Deputy Director and Head of Corporate Communications, Aliu Seidu Sadiq, said beneficiaries also underwent intensive training in export readiness, digital trade, e-commerce, branding, financial management, market access and business sustainability.
He noted that the initiative is expected to boost non-oil exports, create jobs, strengthen women’s economic empowerment and increase Nigeria’s competitiveness in regional and global trade.
Sadiq reaffirmed the council’s commitment to working with international and local partners to create more opportunities for women-owned businesses and accelerate Nigeria’s economic diversification drive.
