EGO Foundation, Access Holdings Empower 2,000 Women Traders in Jos

 Funmi Ogundare

More than 2,000 women traders in Plateau State have benefited from the She-Enabled Plateau project, a market-based empowerment initiative implemented by EGO Foundation, in partnership with Access Holdings and supported by AIESEC Plateau.

The one-day outreach at Chobe Market, Jos,  provided practical training sessions on financial literacy, bookkeeping, access to funding, and profitable savings strategies, aimed at improving the business capacity of indigent women traders.

Designed as a field-first intervention, the programme brought learning directly to the market, combining community mobilisation through market leaders, interactive facilitation by EGO Foundation trainers, and on-site volunteer support from AIESEC Plateau.

The Project Manager at EGO Foundation, Happiness Emordi, explained that the initiative was tailored to meet women where they work and trade.

“Hitting the market with short, practical training is the best way to reach women who do not usually have time for lengthy courses,” she said. “She-Enabled is about delivering immediate value-simple bookkeeping templates, better savings habits and direct links to funding pathways that can change household incomes.”

EGO Foundation, Emodi noted, is a social impact organisation focused on skills acquisition, entrepreneurship development, and community empowerment, adding that the initiative reflects its commitment to helping underserved entrepreneurs build sustainable businesses and access growth opportunities.

Also speaking, the Director of Partnerships,  AIESEC Plateau, Believe Ogbuehi, noted that the collaboration enabled the project to reach a large number of participants effectively.

“Our mobilisation networks and youth volunteers made it possible to reach women at scale and ensure the training reached those who need it most,” he stated.

Beyond the training sessions, the foundation facilitated post-event follow-up, linking participants to Access Bank’s SME Desk for business development opportunities and continued financial literacy support.

Beneficiaries reported renewed confidence in managing their small businesses more efficiently.