‘Women generate over $5.8m from shea trade in three years’ 

Women entrepreneurs generated over $5.8 million from Commonwealth support shea trade in the last three years.

Shea trade has also successfully created over 1,300 direct and indirect jobs for Nigerian business women in the period reviewed.

The Country Coordinator, ITC-Shea Trades Commonwealth in Nigeria, Terfa Ashwe, disclosed this at the launch of the Nigerian Export Promotion Council (NEPC) ITC Business Support Organisation (BSO) and products exhibition in Abuja
 
The Shea Trade Commonwealth project is funded by foreign Commonwealth Development office of the United Kingdom. It is implemented by the International Trade Centre, a joint agency of the World Trade Organisation (WTO) and the United Nations.

Ashwe said in a presentation: “The Shea Commonwealth project came into operations in Nigeria in 2018. Since then, we have been able to work with 1,500 women entrepreneurs in ICT, agriculture and textile. We have also been able to support over 234 women groups in accessing new markets and business generation opportunities like trade fairs. We have supported women to generate over $5.8 million from shea trade businesses in the last two and half years.”

She explained that the directory was put together for the benefit of the Business Support Organisation (BSO) to enable Nigerian women entrepreneurs to know where to get relevant information on who is offering one service or the other.

Executive Director, Nigerian Export Promotion Council (NEPC), Mr. Olusegun Awolowo said that the aim of the BSO Directory would provide a platform for women-owned business to display samples of their products to attract new buyers and draw the attention of institutions that can empower them to expand their businesses, create awareness about the directory and its potential benefits.