The wife of the President, Mrs. Aisha Buhari, wife of the Vice President, Mrs. Dolapo Osinbajo and leading African businessman, Tony Elumelu, have signed a call-to-action through partnership with The Tony Elumelu Foundation and Africa’s global bank, UBA, to empower Nigerian women.

Toyin Saraki and Aisha Buhari

The initiative, which was brought to bear at a forum and exhibition on Nigerian Women in Export in Abuja, is to connect one million women to the international market by 2020.

Delivering the keynote address at the forum, Mrs. Buhari said:  ‘’Nigerian women are extremely hardworking.  We need only a push and this is the time.

“I would like to lead a call to the Federal Government to assign 20% of public procurement to women-owned businesses.”

Speaking at the forum, Chairman of Heirs Holdings, United Bank for Africa and Transcorp Plc, Mr. Tony Elumelu, stated that the capacity of women in the private sector to contribute to the development of the country was underestimated.

He validated this remark by sharing the significant value created by the female beneficiaries of the $100 million Tony Elumelu Foundation Entrepreneurship Programme, who are impacting their communities in many ways.

He said:  “Africa is in need of economic and social development and investing in women is one of the smartest ways to go about it.

‘’It is for this reason that the SDGs have focused on women empowerment as a necessary commitment in alleviating poverty.