By Edoamaowo Udeme
The U.S. Embassy Abuja held a workshop to build and strengthen the capacity of 80 Nigerian women in businesses and women business groups.
The workshop focused on the factors responsible for the growth of women who owned businesses and business networks in the U.S and ways they can be applied in Nigeria.
Welcoming the participants, Katherine Kaetzer-Hodson , the Environmental, Science, Technology and Health Officer at the United States Embassy, Nigeria, said “We in the US Embassy gather this group to help build capacity and broadening network because they are the future of Nigeria”
“As we move towards the population growth that is expected in Nigeria and across Africa, we realized that the young people are going to be part of it either as a challenge or the solution and we will like to be the solution and not the challenge” she stressed
“There are a lot of opportunities through this program that will help advance young businesses and economic diversity across board, it is not one solution but a solution that encompasses many aspects, so, this is just one solution and we look forward to many other solutions”. She added
“We are looking forward to continuing such effort but we also look forward to Nigeria continuing the effort because it is the people of Nigeria that can come together with such energy and dynamism to confront the challenge as they come forward”
“As we train 80 women today, they will also carry on mentorship by training others, it is important to continue the tradition, they will then inspire and build the next generation of Nigeria” she noted
Angela Ajala, President, African Women Entrepreneurship Program (AWEP) while thanking the US Embassy for the opportunity given them to operate said “Today we are here courtesy of US Embassy program called “Target Of Opportunity” where we welcome visiting experts from the US Embassy who cease opportunity to pass some experts information to women entrepreneurs and partners”
“One of the topics is how women can build formidable businesses and also how women networks their various business associations and organizations you belong to and how women can build formidable structures” Ajala noted
“Last year we were empowered by the US Embassy to map out all the female entrepreneurs doing businesses in the Northern Nigeria, we were able to reach 100,000 women despite our 6 months limited time” she stressed
“As an organization, AWEP has empowered thousands of women, as our mandate, we make sure women run qualitative and well structured businesses, businesses that are investment ready, businesses that will fill the gap with the community where they belong to”
“We have been given the opportunity to export Nigerian goods duty free to the USA through the African Growth Opportunity Act (AGOA) . We have 6,000 goods so far, so our mandate is to support women and encourage them to cease the opportunity but the goods must undergo a qualitative process” She added
One of the participants, A fashion designer from Adamawa State of Nigeria, Soraya Adiji, said she was there to hear about the entrepreneurship and how to improve in her work not only in Nigeria but internationally
“I have more ideas on how to improve in my business, how to be creative and innovative at the same time, and how to move it forward”
Even though I have 7 people in my employ so far, I will empower more women especially in the Northern Nigeria, I will caution them not to fold their arms and look up to their husbands, I will empower them through this training to support their husbands through their businesses” she added.
