NECA, Shell move to boost entrepreneurship among women

The Nigeria Employers Consultative Association (NECA) and Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria (SPDC) are collaborating to unearth the hidden potentials in women entrepreneurs.

A statement by the Coordinator of NECA’s Network of Entrepreneurial Women (NNEW), Port Harcourt, South-South zone, Ijeoma Iheme, said the one-day said the business development conference for women entrepreneurs titled ‘Building the 21st Century Women Entrepreneurs as Change Agents’ slated for Port Harcourt is intended to open areas of opportunities where women can excel and take leadership position where they work.

On her part, the Chairperson, NNEW Port Harcourt, Mrs. Mercy Bello Abu said that it is imperative for women entrepreneurs to be empowered saying they form the bedrock of the family, business and nation at large.

She opined that if Women entrepreneurs are given the necessary support by policymakers and interested stakeholders, they can indeed bring a transformation to the lives of Nigerians.

She submitted that the crux of the conference was the reason why partners like SPDC Nigeria and Orleans Invest gave their support as their Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) despite the challenging times in the country.

She said: “We are convinced that women form the bedrock of every society. Therefore, the need to continually upgrade their knowledge on current developments cannot be over-emphasized. This Conference is geared towards bringing women entrepreneurs in the South-South region to brainstorm on issues that are fundamental to the success of their business and the Nigerian Economy.

To drive this session will be Successful Women entrepreneurs of repute and the participants will be linked to mentors to guide them towards the entire value chain to run and grow their businesses successfully.”

She added that the business conference would also form the framework upon which the Women’s Network will use as an advocacy tool to lobby for friendlier policies to women owned businesses.

The conference is slate for Thursday, June 2nd 2016 Port-Harcourt, Rivers State.Mrs. Abu said the conference is open to both existing and aspiring women entrepreneurs who are ready to be in the driver’s seat of the emerging reality.

NECA’s Network of Entrepreneurial Women is Business membership Organization established in 2005 under the aegis of Nigeria Employers’ Consultative Association to promote and nurture entrepreneurship amongst women.

It is also a forum created for women entrepreneurs to focus on issues that are crucial to the thriving of their businesses with building generations of successful women entrepreneurs as core objective.