Centre empowers 15 rural women with loans

• Provides scholarships for students

In a bid to reduce the challenge of finance faced by women entrepreneurs, a non-governmental organisation, Azzawaj Intervention Center, has supported 15 rural women in Tungan Maje, Abuja with soft loans to start petty businesses.

The women, who were given loans of N20,000 each, are involved in businesses including tailoring and firewood selling, amongst others.

The initiative was started by the organisation in 2017, aimed at reducing the challenge of finance faced by women entrepreneurs, the founder, Hajiya Asmau Abe Wala, has said.

She said women entrepreneurship is very crucial to economic growth around the world, from petty trading, small scale businesses to large enterprises.

She also said in Nigeria, women owned nearly half of the country’s micro enterprises and 20% of small and medium-sized businesses, according to a survey conducted by the Small and Medium Enterprises Development Agency of Nigeria (SMEDAN).

She also explained that women entrepreneurs are playing an increasingly important role in generating wealth and jobs for the country hence the need for them to be supported.

“Several federally sponsored loan programmes for small businesses and women entrepreneurs exist in Nigeria. However, women entrepreneurs across the country have identified several significant barriers to accessing finance to start or grow a business. And that is why we have decided to assist them with these loans,” she said.

The organisation also awarded scholarship to 10 secondary school students who are orphans in the community.

“The scholarship award is given to selected students who are totally orphans. We picked them from different communities across the FCT including Anagada, Jiwa and Tungan-Maje and we intend to assist them with scholarships to tertiary institutions,” Hajiya Asmau said.