THE Abubakar Bukola Saraki, ABS Foundation, has described Kwara women as hardworking and enterprising, hence, its commitment towards proffering solutions to certain challenges militating against women entrepreneurs from reaching their potentials and upscaling to break into the global market.
The foundation says it’ll follow up with participants at a one-day women entrepreneurial training program organized for Kwara women by the Foundation, in partnership with WimBiz.
It said the follow up is to monitor their progress, get feedbacks and intervene where necessary.
The Director of Administration, ABS Foundation, Miss Fatimah Malofashi, stated this while addressing newsmen in Ilorin, on Thursday, Nov. 09, 2023, at the venue of the training programme.
Speaking on the objective of the training, Malofashi said the prevailing economic realities makes it expedient to empower women entrepreneurs through mentorship, networking, community development, and technological innovation.
“Women are confronted with specific challenges in the course of doing business which holds them back from thriving.
“But trainings such as this helps to upscale their business skills to be able to break those barriers, manage their business with sound knowledge and operate at par with their male counterparts.
“If you check very well, there can hardly be meaningful economic growth without the women. They must therefore be empowered with contemporary business skills to be enable them compete globally,” she said.
The ABS Foundation acknowledged the hardwork and enterpreneural skills of Kwara women, noting that the training will expose them to markets beyond their locality.
“As you can observe, this is a new module where we have decided to bring in international partners, Wimbiz, who are grounded in astute business skills.
“They are training them on different aspects to include financial literacy, business structure, use of digital technology to improve HR skills and networking that will connect them globally.
“We can’t be so hardworking and continue to limit ourselves to local or regional markets. But with the training today, participants will be able to tap into the international market and compete globally,” she added.
Linda Uneze, Facilitator at the training, said the training will empower the women on the right strategy, skills and knowledge on how to manage and run successful and sustainable business that can outlive them.
She added that the training will also expose them to business collaborations where they can partner to transact or come together to discuss their challenges towards finding a way forward.
Uneze said she is impressed at the participants’ level of understanding and active participation.
“The training has been very inspiring. I’m impressed that even petty traders have learnt a lot and are able to share their thoughts with us on how they hope to incorporate what they’ve learnt so far. It’s really impressive,” she said.
Some of the participants who shared their thoughts expressed happiness at the level of skill acquisition at the training, saying it has opened their eyes to modern day business management.
Babata Balqis Olajumoke, who sells lingerie and underwear said it’s very been impactful as she has learnt how to monitor the business finance, manage the investment, expand and evaluate her management ability.
She also added that the array of trainers served as motivation to her as a young entrepreneur.
Another participant, Bello Oluwabunmi, said she’s happy she is a participant and do not regret vacating every other activity to participate.
“This training is significant and has been very impactful. It is essential to get trainings like this in business because up-scaling is key. You must be up to date in business. I am glad I came,” she said.
A woman, Mrs Kehinde Adisa, thanked the organizers for the opportunity to acquire such skills free of charge.
She said, “I’ve attended many trainings before, but this is different. And I know what im saying. It is rare to get trained like this without paying a dime. I sincerely appreciate it because I know, with what ive learnt, my business will never remain the same.”
Also speaking, Abdulganiyu Abdulqadir, the Press Officer on Local Matters to Saraki, stated that the training is part of the interventions by the ABS foundation to ensure that women upscale their businesses to be able to survive in this prevailing economic situation.
“It is a great opportunity for women to learn from experts, network with other entrepreneurs, and get the support they need to succeed in business,” he said.