The Executive Director, CEO Nigeria Export Promotion Council (NEPC) Nonye Ayeni has disclosed that the council in partnership with the International Trade Centre (ITC) in partnership with the WEIDE fund programme is set to empower 146 women led businesses with a grant ranging from five thousand to thirty thousand dollars for their businesses.
Ayeni disclosed this at a two day event and the programme of Her Showcase 2.0 – Launch of the export procedures handbook, in collaboration with the International Trade Centre (ITC) in Abuja, with the theme, “Give to Gain” combined with the celebration of the 2026 women’s day, as she stated that these 146 women led businesses are presently undergoing training with the council.
She said: “The Council strengthened the SheTrades Nigeria Hub in collaboration with the International Trade Centre (ITC) by provided training, market access opportunities, and connections to international buyers for thousands of women exporters.
“It is worthy of note that since its inception, over 5,000 women-led businesses have joined the Hub community, benefiting from tailored capacity building and coaching. This collaboration has helped women become export-ready, participate in global fairs, and integrate digital tools into their businesses.
“Through the NEPC’s Go Global, Go for Certification initiative, the Council facilitatedand fully sponsored export certification (HACCP, ISO, FDA, Global G.A.P.) for MSMEs, particularly women-owned enterprises, at no cost to them. These certifications are signals of trust in international markets and have directly improved market access, reduced rejection rates, and enhanced buyer confidence”
Ayeni added that to create a generational wealth investment in a woman is important. “Women are made of sterner stuff. ‘Our strength is not usually loud, but it has the force of a dynamite that can break barriers and move mountains’ A shout out to all the women that refused to walk within the boundaries set for them but rather dared to dream big dreams and dared to take bold steps.
“Nigeria cannot achieve sustainable non-oil export growth without the full participation of women. It is therefore our firm belief that all these efforts and many more by the Council will increase and supersede Nigeria’s non-oil export value of 6.1 billion dollars achieved last year,” she said..
