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Minister, Onyema rally support for female business financing

By Helen Oji
14 March 2022   |   4:03 am
Minister for Women Affairs, Dame Pauline Tallen, has restated the Federal Government’s commitment towards ensuring access to finance for women –owned micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs).

Minister for Women Affairs, Dame Pauline Tallen, has restated the Federal Government’s commitment towards ensuring access to finance for women –owned micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs).

Speaking at the Nigerian Exchange Limited (NGX) virtual symposium and bell-ringing ceremony for gender equality in partnership with Sustainable Stock Exchanges Initiative (SSEI), United Nations (UN) Women, United Nations Global Compact (UNGC) and International Finance Corporation (IFC), Tallen said there is a need to advance women’s entrepreneurship and increase their access to finance.

She said Nigeria could only maximise its economic potential if efforts are made to close the gender gap and increase women’s stake in the economy.

Tallen also congratulated Nigerian women for their immense contributions towards national development in both public and private sectors.

The Minister of State for Industry and Investment, Ambassador Mariam Katagum, said there is a need to support and aggregate women MSMEs to boost their contributions to the economy.

According to her, the federal government clearly understands the place of women in the growth of every economy.

She stated that the government is working tirelessly with stakeholders across sectors to ensure that MSMEs have the support they need to grow now and in the future.

Group Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer, Nigerian Exchange Group Plc (NGX Group), Oscar Onyema, said the global financial industry has a critical role to play in achieving gender equality.

According to him, as the world clamours for increased reallocation of finance to address the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG), climate change and other pressing issues, there is a pressing need for stakeholders to reconsider the role of finance in addressing gender issues.

He said: “If promoting gender issues was conceived as a business opportunity or a transaction, favourable policies would need to be implemented to enable investors to recoup their investments.”

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