By Progress Godfrey

ABUJA — The Nigerian Export Promotion Council (NEPC) has engaged 143 women entrepreneurs under the Women Exporters in the Digital Economy, WEIDE, Fund as part of preparations for the first tranche of grant disbursement expected in the first quarter of 2026.

The engagement, held as a town hall meeting in Abuja on Wednesday, brought together beneficiaries, coaches and programme managers to review progress so far, address challenges and align expectations ahead of fund release.

The Executive Director/CEO of NEPC, Mrs. Nonye Ayeni,  said the meeting was designed to take stock of how far the beneficiaries have come since the programme’s launch, and to identify areas where further support is required to strengthen their businesses.

She described the WEIDE Fund as a transformative intervention focused on building the skills Nigerian women need to compete in global markets, noting that beneficiaries have undergone training in financial literacy, bookkeeping, leadership, compliance and digital trade, in partnership with the World Trade Organisation, WTO, and the International Trade Centre, ITC.

“The essence of this is for us to call the beneficiaries of WEIDE Fund and then the coaches and then get them together to have an interactive session to be able to see how far we have gone, know their challenges, and see how we can better support them.

“You know, the WEIDE Fund is a game-changing initiative where we are building skills, working with WTO and ITC to build the skills of our women. Financial literacy, bookkeeping, soft skills, task issues, compliance issues, this will help them to build a very formidable business,” she said.

She added that beyond training, NEPC is integrating beneficiaries into its broader export development mandate through packaging support, value addition, mentorship and market grooming, stressing that participants must take full advantage of what she described as a lifetime opportunity.

Earlier, Director of Trade Information Department at NEPC, Ndubueze Okeke, said the town hall format reflects the collaborative nature of the WEIDE programme, which he described as a partnership between global institutions, national agencies and women entrepreneurs.

He said Nigeria’s selection as one of only four pilot countries globally underscores confidence in the capacity of Nigerian women exporters and NEPC’s role as a coordinating institution.

Since the programme’s launch in August 2025, Okeke said implementation has moved from mobilisation to active onboarding, capacity building and export readiness, following more than 67,000 applications nationwide.

“According to McKinsey Global Institute, advancing women’s economic equality could add $28 trillion to global GDP by 2025,” said Okeke.

He urged beneficiaries to see success beyond grant disbursement, stressing that the true impact would be measured by stronger businesses, expanded market access and job creation.

Also speaking, WEIDE Fund focal person at NEPC, Moboni Alemika, highlighted the resilience of Nigerian women entrepreneurs, citing examples of beneficiaries who remained committed to the programme despite personal and structural challenges.

She said the pilot phase has already demonstrated Nigeria’s seriousness, attracting additional funding interest from other countries and reinforcing the shift towards digital trade and women-led exports.

Alemika said, “67,000 women applied for this. Only 143 were chosen to do this, and it’s because funds are very limited… So the fund is a $15 million fund… For the Discovery Fund, we have up to $5,000… But for the booster, they get up to $30,000… So the first tranche of the fund will be disbursed next quarter.”

She explained that disbursement has been tied to rigorous training and compliance checks to ensure sustainability and accountability, with further training scheduled for February 2026 ahead of March disbursement.

One of the beneficiaries, Helene Nnaemeka, Chief Executive Officer of Helencia Foods Ltd, said the programme has done a lot on structure and learning.

She noted that beneficiaries have undergone audits, business assessments and training in financial management, governance and personal development.

Nnaemeka said while there were initial expectations of quicker disbursement, the value of the training and support received has already exceeded the financial aspect, adding that beneficiaries are hopeful funds will be released as scheduled in the first quarter of 2026.