For the advancement of Nigerian women entrepreneurs and SMEs as the rising stars of the Nigerian economy, Rewired Network Africa has held its maiden summit to equip female entrepreneurs with the necessary resources and skills for expansion.

Speaking at the event, Co-founder/Convener, EmpowerHer Summit, Emem Ime Okwoche disclosed that the Nigerian woman’s efforts and business activities give life and hope to the economy of Nigeria, as a country.

“The goal of the summit is to empower female business owners on the need to build skills and access to funding opportunities, as there exists a knowledge gap for female entrepreneurs getting the awareness on grants, loans, and funds.

“And also, how to structure and develop their business plan with the vision of Do-It-Yourself digital skills to improve their businesses,” she stated.

Barr. Iheji Emmanuel Iji stressed the significance of having a corporate business registered which aids in having a structured business.

He said, “According to statistics, there is a 61 per cent startup failure rate in Nigeria (that’s about 201,559 of the 2022 number) while

18 per cent of the time, the reasons for this are connected to regulatory issues with 45 per cent of businesses finding it difficult to scale as they are unable to comply with regulatory policies.

“You can not scale a business without an understanding of what regulatory matters/issues are, as those are laws touching on all these businesses,” he said

He lauds the summit for providing women in business and SME operators with access to information that will improve their business, as they create a business entity that helps their platform access grants and strategic partnerships to empower their business.

Brand Consultant and Canva Expert, Ayedotun Akinfenwa, in a crash course, advised female business owners to undertake a Do-It-Yourself web design to project their products to attract customers and position their businesses for consideration for business grants with the use of the Canva app.

On his part, acting president, US Government Exchange Alumni Association, Joseph Iworwuese, stated that the goal of the summit is to empower women in business to keep thriving and carry on making an impact in society.