Female Entrepreneurs Urged to Leverage Tech Innovation for Growth

Nigerian female entrepreneurs have been advised to leverage technology innovation to enhance business growth and remain globally competitive in today’s world of technology-driven business.

Chairman, Nigerian Association of Small and Medium Enterprises (NASME), Delta State, Judith Ojevwe Nwachukwu, gave the advice during her keynote presentation at the ‘She Can With ICT Graduation and Expo’ ceremony in Lagos recently, organised by Women’s Technology Empowerment Centre (W.TEC), where over 5,000 female entrepreneurs graduated in fashion and technology training.

Nwachukwu advised the graduating female entrepreneurs to leverage technology in driving their businesses, adding that with technology, their businesses can grow rapidly, have good return on investment and remain globally competitive.

She also advised them on the power of networking and collaboration and the need to build resilient mindset that would urge them to do more and never to limit themselves as women in the society.   

Director, Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI), Lola Olusola, who is also the Co-founder of Horizon Shores, spoke about the need for Nigerian female entrepreneurs to embrace digital marketing and increase the number of female entrepreneurs in Nigeria. 
Executive Director at W.TEC, Mrs. Oreoluwa Lesi, said the training was targeted at female entrepreneurs that are into fashion design, but do not know how to leverage technology to grow their business.

According to her, ACT Foundation and Access Bank, funded the training programme, where over 5,000 female entrepreneurs were trained online with basic technology and business skills to grow their businesses. 

Speaking about how technology has helped in driving businesses, Lesi said most of the women entrepreneur started out as a small business, with little access to capital. “Usually the initial capital comes from personal savings or friends and family. So there are so many things they are not able to do because they lack capital. So what the training is doing is showing them how they can use technology to basically bypass all those financial huddles,” Lesi said, adding that with technology, female entrepreneurs can position themselves properly online, using digital marketing strategies.

She encouraged the female entrepreneurs to use the knowledge that they’ve learnt to improve and grow their businesses.