Image Credit: WebTV
By Proshare
Proshare foundation, as part of its agenda of women empowerment in collaboration with the Redeemed Christian Church of God, Victory Chapel, Magodo, Lagos, organized a training workshop for 30 female entrepreneurs. It was an opportunity for capacity-building and knowledge-sharing for the women to upscale their businesses.
In her presentation, Mrs. Ikeoluwa Erinoluwa, Program Coordinator, Proshare Foundation, who facilitated the session that covered “The Importance of Self-Empowerment”, said the session was to enlighten women on the dynamics of business and the value of savings and investments.
The session was interactive and guided women entrepreneurs on how best to use the N50,000 grants that Proshare Foundation and RCCG Victory Chapel would give to support their businesses. Mrs. Akinyele Omoleye, a trader, said she would invest the money in her business. In contrast, Mrs. Grace, a trader in perishable goods, said she would save N20,000 due to the risk involved and invest the rest of the money in her business.
Erinoluwa encouraged the women to have multiple products, enabling them to to sell two or more things simultaneously. They were encouraged to keep a record of their goods and track their daily expenses as this would allow them to do away with unnecessary spending and invest well in their businesses.
Giving the second presentation at the workshop, Adeola Sulaiman encouraged the women to pay themselves salaries as part of their gain from their business and tasked them to packaging their goods or products to attract more customers.
Adeola also outlined steps that the female entrepreneurs must take to set a target for themselves as it concerns the sales they wish to achieve daily and always look for substitutes that reduce their cost. The Proshare Foundation official warned the women against covetousness which kills businesses faster than any other thing. She called for financial discipline and made a strong case for the women to cut down unnecessary spending like the buying of ‘aso-ebi.’
She emphasized the need for partnerships, which is also key to business sustainability, and urged them to be proactive, creative, and innovative.
She advised the women to take their health seriously by carrying out regular medical checkups covering their blood pressure and sugar level. She added that they should also be mindful of what they eat and drink.
The first phase of the empowerment is the N25,000 Grants to the female entrepreneurs. In contrast, the second phase of the N25,000 fund will involve the pairing of the women entrepreneurs to facilitate collaboration and enable accountability in the scheme.
Some of the women interviewed by WebTV expressed joy over the empowerment initiative and promised to utilize the funds appropriately and apply all they learned at the workshop.
The Proshare Foundation initiative is geared towards deepening financial inclusion in Nigeria and supporting economic empowerment for women.