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Women across various sectors are calling for targeted support and tailored policies to help them overcome the unique challenges they face in the business world.
Despite their significant contributions to the economy, many women entrepreneurs and professionals struggle to access the resources, funding, and opportunities needed to thrive.
It is on record that female entrepreneurs in Nigeria constitute 43 percent of entrepreneurs in the country, and those in agriculture primarily smallholder farmers and processors account for about 70 to 80 percent of the sector’s labour force. They play a very important role in the nation’s economy.
In separate interviews with women in various fields of business, they called for more attention to their plight so as to enable them to boost their productivity.
They pointed out that in spite of their huge contributions, they lack the necessary support to maximize their impact on the nation’s economy.
Specifically, they seek easier access to finance, an enabling environment, tailored training, and gender-friendly policies.
Nigerian women entrepreneurs form a powerful but underutilised engine of economic growth.
They account for nearly half of all entrepreneurs and dominate the agricultural labour force, yet they continue to face barriers: limited access to finance, outdated policies, poor infrastructure, and inadequate government prioritisation.
Adeola Balogun, Founder and COO at LimLim Foods Production Company Limited, said that there must and should be a means to verify female-led businesses.
Balogun, who runs an agro-processing company dedicated to reducing post-harvest losses and ensuring food security said that, “Once verification has been established, progressive facilities should be granted to women‐led ventures. Their model can be such that they gradually build cash collateral, which can be invested in bonds and then used as collateral by female-led and -owned businesses.”
Balogun, noted that for years, women were relegated to the role of housewives and thus denied economic empowerment.
“But in recent times, given the economic realities, women’s economic growth has become the fulcrum of any home. With our influence on the children, it’s important that women are given all the encouragement needed to grow their businesses, as this will positively impact our next generation.”
“Honestly, as a female in the agro-processing space, access to low-cost, single-digit funding is all that is required,” she said.
Chi Tola-Roberts, Chief Operating Officer of Capacious Farms and Foods said that, “We have emphasised and continue to emphasize that women entrepreneurs deserve special attention. But not much has been done to yield a remarkable experience or evidence of change.”
Tola-Roberts explains that female entrepreneurs face norms and structural factors that disproportionately disadvantage them.
“If you know what I mean, in context, it will be in the government’s interest to revisit the ease of doing business especially for women and ensure targeted support and interventions.”
According to Tola-Roberts, the government must start by giving women entrepreneurs adequate training, funding, grants, export assistance, and monitoring/evaluation support.
“We need gender-friendly, accommodating policies and the government must enforce them,” she said.
Focusing on smallholder women farmers, Tola-Roberts stressed the need for integration, reorientation, and more training, stressing that, “Many still rely on conventional farming because there is no adequate training or enlightenment on improved methods.
“They must have access to improved services and facilities, since they contribute immensely to agricultural and agro-processing growth in this country.”
She underscores that rural women remain vital in the value chain.
According to her, “until we improve their methods, output will not improve. The government needs to invest more in creating agro hubs that are accessible and affordable. That means engaging farmers in the discussion. Their needs shouldn’t be assumed. For example, if a community group of women farmers prefers their processing hub at the back of the market, putting it anywhere else defeats the purpose. You can’t place a processing hub in a community with poor access routes where women have to transport produce by head, bike, or small truck. Most smallholders are in areas without good roads.”
Aolat Idowu-Agbelekale, CEO of Arcom Treasures said that, “a woman’s contribution to GDP is awesome, yet we require special attention and support in terms of equal opportunity to finance, patronage, and favourable policies in our lines of operation,”she said
Idowu-Agbelekale, who is a stakeholder in the coconut value chain argued that women should be treated based on the positive value they bring to society, not subjected to gender biases or subjugation.
“Female entrepreneurs are highly intelligent and creative; if given the necessary support and an enabling environment, we can do even better.”
She points to concrete measures the government can take: “We need grants, zero-interest loans, and equipment financing. Farm land allocation at reduced prices, plus input support seedlings, fertilizers, and so on.”
Focusing on coconut processing, she highlights the efficiency of clustering: “When one coconut waste like shells from oil production becomes another entrepreneur’s raw material for activated charcoal, clustering makes it easier to share equipment and reduce waste. If we operate individually, we pay to get rid of waste. In a cluster, a shell disposer gets paid, and processors can access materials affordably.”
Abimbola Francis, General Secretary of AFAN, Lagos State Chapter insists that governments at all levels must establish processing hubs for women farmers in their communities. “These farmers should bring their produce to the hub for processing, which adds value locally,” she said.
She also emphasised the need for machinery and implements to make women’s farming less tedious.
“For the nation to be food-secure, women farmers have a role to play, which they already are; but they must be supported with irrigation systems. With climate change everywhere, no nation can rely on rain-fed agriculture alone. We must invest in irrigation so we can produce food year-round.”
Abosede Oriade, a fish processor in her contribution, said that the government has the sole responsibility of changing the narrative because they hold the resources in their custody.
She argues that policies are devised without meaningful input from women farmers.
Oriade said that without a tangible commitment, such as earmarked funds for women, the narrative will remain the same and food security will remain elusive.
Modupe Zainab Adelaja, CEO of Zyntomax Ventures Limited, called for dedicated funds that offer grants and financial assistance specifically to female entrepreneurs.
“This will reduce the financial barriers many women face when starting and growing businesses,” she noted.
Adelaja also stresses the importance of training and mentorship, stressing that the government should organize programs and workshops that bridge the gap between existing skill sets and what’s required to run a successful business.”
Highlighting systemic gender gaps, she proposes tax incentives: “Offer tax breaks to new female-owned businesses or reduced rates for existing women’s companies. This offsets costs and incentivizes more women to become entrepreneurs.”
The women entrepreneurs pointed out several priority areas for government action, which according to them include; access to low-cost finance, dedicated verification and collateral models to enable progressive lending, zero-interest or single-digit loans for female-led ventures, gender-friendly policies, transparent, enforced regulations that dismantle norms disadvantaging women, inclusion of women farmers and entrepreneurs in policy design to ensure relevance.
Others according to the stakeholders include; skills workshops on modern farming methods and business management, mentorship programs that link women to experienced entrepreneurs, regional processing hubs that are located where women can easily transport produce, shared equipment clusters to reduce duplication, lower costs, and manage waste.
They are of the opinion that the solutions already exist which according to them are; tailored financing, gender-responsive regulations, hands-on training, and investment in processing hubs and irrigation.
They believe that these measures will not only empower women but also help Nigeria build a more resilient, inclusive, and prosperous economy.
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