The federal government has reaffirmed its commitment to strengthening the ecosystem for women entrepreneurs, describing them as the “quiet economists of every household” and a central pillar of Nigeria’s economic resilience.
Speaking at the 5th Women Enterprise Alliance (WenA) Conference in Abuja, Ms. Chayla Shagaya, Senior Special Assistant to the President on Entrepreneurship Development and Innovation, highlighted the government’s efforts to reduce the cost of doing business, expand access to finance, and promote gender-responsive policies.
Shagaya revealed that the government has introduced reforms such as the Presidential Power Initiative, digital financing pathways, and tax harmonization frameworks to lower operational costs for SMEs, most of which are women-led. She also announced partnerships between the Bank of Industry and other financial institutions to improve access to affordable credit for female entrepreneurs.
“We no longer need to bring your grandmother’s land title to secure a loan,” Shagaya said humorously, highlighting the government’s efforts to make access to finance more inclusive.
The founder of WenA, Aisha Babangida, emphasized the need for continuous advocacy, lamenting that many women still lack access to information, capital, and markets. She commended UN Women Nigeria for its Affirmative Action Procurement Reform Initiative in Kaduna State, which has introduced female representation on procurement boards and reserved a portion of public contracts for women-led enterprises.
“When I founded WenA, I thought passion was enough. But it wasn’t. The paperwork, the tax codes, the licensing rules — these were heavy even for those of us with networks. Imagine what it’s like for a woman starting a micro-business in a rural town with little support,” Babangida said.
The conference, themed “Policy Reforms and Resilience Strategies for Small and Medium Enterprises in a New Economy,” brought together key policymakers, development partners, financiers, and entrepreneurs to discuss ways to accelerate the translation of national and global policy commitments into measurable outcomes for women-led enterprises.
The Executive Chairman of the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS), Dr. Zach Adedeji announced key fiscal reforms designed to ease tax burdens on small businesses, especially those run by women. He revealed that businesses earning not more than ₦100 million in annual turnover will be exempted from corporate income tax, effective January 2026.
“A real reform is when a woman in Kaduna, Aba, or Makurdi feels the change in her daily hustle — when she can register her business in minutes, access capital without fear, and supply to the government without discrimination,” Babangida emphasized in her closing remarks.
The conference concluded with a collective pledge to advance a gender-inclusive economic framework that leaves no woman behind.
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