A total of 30 winners have emerged in the MetroWoman 2019 accelerator conference.
The initiative was part of efforts to developing Young Female Entrepreneurs operating as small, medium and enterprises (SMEs) startups across different sectors in the country.
This, according to the organisers would avails the selected participants mentoring opportunities, working loan capital of about two million naira and hand-holding by successful entrepreneurs in the twelve months programme.
Speaking at the maiden edition of the accelerator competition, the convener, and Founder, MetroWoman Empowerment Foundation, Mrs. Chinenye Nnoli, said, Nigerian women possess the potential to grow the economy, if properly guided.
She said each member of the accelerators would be exposed to different aspect of business ranges from strategy, human relations, accounting and investors to leverage other platforms like the Access Bank Hub and CreditPRO advisory services company.
According to her; “It is just us trying to support young businesses, because I was at this stage before and needed this support to upscale and people gave it to me.
“The economy is not very friendly to business, so for us is a give back mechanism to encourage these young women that have been selected from over 500 applications. To use Access Bank training facilities for free is a rare opportunity.”
She added that by next year agribusiness enterprises would be considered in view of the government’s policy direction to feed the nation.
In a panel session, experts advised SMEs to embrace personal development, saying it remained critical characteristics of 21st century entrepreneurs.
They equally reiterated that only when entrepreneurs give value to customers that it turns to profit; but were of the opinion that today’s business owners must leverage technology and identify the gap in their sector.
On his part, as part sponsors of the event, the CEO, CreditPRO, a business support services limited, Sola Adeyiga, said many businesses do not last more than five years in the country, because capital is not enough for SMEs to survive.
