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Dangote partners Phoenix to empower women entrepreneurs

By Victor Uzoho
19 March 2019   |   4:11 am
The Aliko Dangote Foundation is partnering Phoenix Learning and Developmental Academy (TLPDA) to empower women entrepreneurs to grow sustainable businesses in Nigeria.

PHOTO: GOOGLE.COM

The Aliko Dangote Foundation is partnering Phoenix Learning and Developmental Academy (TLPDA) to empower women entrepreneurs to grow sustainable businesses in Nigeria.

Speaking at the Women in Business Seminar hosted by TLPDA and co-sponsored by Dangote Group recently in Lagos, Acting Coordinator, Dangote Women Network (DWN), Uduak Ndiokho, said the empowerment programme is aimed at encouraging women in the organisation and communities to embrace entrepreneurship.

She said: “I think we are the strongest supporters of business in Nigeria and so it became important for us to support basically with what is tied with our objectives as a network and as a group.

“We provide awareness of the infrastructure that is available for women in business. For instance, we have the industry Small and Medium Enterprises (SME) Fund, which is a single digit interest loan that is available for SMEs to take advantage of, particularly women in business.

“It is also important to us to see that when women want to access funding that they have structures in place to access the funding because there are already criteria available, which If SMEs doesn’t meet up with, then it would be difficult for them to access those funds.”

She noted that DWN also have clear policies and processes in place for the release of funding for women entrepreneurs as they understand what entrepreneurs needs are and what solution are available within the context of the economy that would go a long way for SME’s to have sustainable businesses.

In his remarks, Chief Executive Officer and Lead consultant, TLPDA, Olanrewaju Aduloju, said the seminar was to help young women entrepreneurs thrive in tedious business environment like Nigerian situation.

He said: I see women in business for the particular reason that a lot of conversation has gone around through international agencies and government on women in business. The girl child education has been like a major conversation that has been played around for a long time especially towards North getting the girl child back to school.”

However, Aduloju urged the government to improve the ease of doing business in the country and make sure that the environment is more enabled for businesses from the documentation side to setting up of accounts, to the access of possible infrastructure that would aid SMEs to thrive.

Also, Director, Strategy, Funding and Stakeholder Management, Lagos State Employment Trust Fund, Abosede Alimi, Head, in her remarks, said the seminar was a really good learning platform and opportunity for SMEs to get together to learn and share ideas that can significantly and positively impact their businesses.

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