Abuja: The First Lady, Sen Oluremi Tinubu, has commended the Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala-led World Trade Organisation (WTO) for establishing a $ 50 million fund to empower women in the country.
Mrs Tinubu gave the commendation on Thursday in Abuja, while inaugurating the Women Exporters in the Digital Economy (WEIDE) Fund.
The initiative is a joint effort of the WTO and the International Trade Centre to equip women-owned businesses in developing countries with skills, resources, and networks to participate competitively in global value chains.
“It gives me great delight and honour to officially launch the Women Exporters in the Digital Economy Fund to support and set up the businesses of Nigerian women entrepreneurs.
“The inauguration is an essential step towards expanding the participation of Nigerian women in global trade through digital tools.
‘This initiative aligns with the Renewal Hope Agenda of this administration of President Bola Tinubu and his effort to diversify the economy and empower women-led enterprises,” she said.
The First Lady, represented by the Wife of the Vice President, Hajiya Nana Shettima, underscored the need for women to embrace investment opportunities while leveraging digital platforms.
She said stakeholders have a role to play in sustaining women-led enterprises and investments.
Mrs Tinubu said inclusivity in governance was pivotal to success, especially to foster digital access, trade readiness, and competitiveness.
“I urge all stakeholders present, governments, financial institutions, and non-profit organisations to sustain investment in women-led enterprises.
“I also want to urge them to continue to support inclusive policies that foster digital access, trade readiness, and competitiveness,” she said.
Mrs Tinubu stated that in today’s reality, Nigerian women, professional designers, and Afro-processor tech innovators need support to utilise e-commerce, online platforms, and payment systems to expand their businesses globally.
“Let your projects and ideas reflect the excellence and innovation that you find in Nigeria’s markets,” she said.
Okonjo-Iweala, on her part, said the inauguration came at a time when total global trade stood at 30.4 trillion dollars, with digital trade representing the fastest-growing segment.
She said that WEIDE Fund would roll out in four countries, including Jordan, Mongolia, the Dominican Republic, and Nigeria.
She added that Nigeria’s selection followed a fiercely competitive process involving over 600 business support organisations worldwide.
The WTO boss advised Nigeria on its low internet penetration, with more than half of the population still offline.
She said this situation could limit the country’s ability to tap into the fast-growing global digital trade market.
