Nigeria is stepping up efforts to deepen inclusive digital trade with the launch of the $50 million Women Exporters in the Digital Economy (WEIDE) Fund, co-hosted in Abuja by Dr Jumoke Oduwole, Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, and Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Director-General of the World Trade Organisation (WTO).
The WEIDE Fund, a joint initiative of the WTO and the International Trade Centre, will support 146 women entrepreneurs across developing countries by providing them with digital export tools, skills, resources and networks to compete in global value chains.
Dr Oduwole says the launch marks a turning point in Nigeria’s trade agenda by putting women at the centre of the digital economy, boosting global competitiveness and aligning the nation’s Industrial Policy with African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) ambitions.
To scale impact, the Trade Minister outlined plans to fast-track collaboration among the Ministries of Power, Communications, Women’s Affairs and Trade. She also says Nigeria will leverage the Federal Government’s $2 billion fibre-optic rollout for rural inclusion while mobilising agencies including the Nigeria Export Promotion Council (NEPC) and the Nigeria Customs Service to provide tailored support, streamlined processes and market-readiness training for WEIDE beneficiaries.
“As a nation that aspires to build a $1 trillion economy, we cannot leave half our population offline,” she says. “The WEIDE Fund is more than finance. It is a strategic statement that we will dismantle barriers, equip women with digital export tools, and create real opportunities for female-led businesses.”
To scale impact, the Trade Minister outlined plans to fast-track collaboration among the Ministries of Power, Communications, Women’s Affairs and Trade. She also says Nigeria will leverage the Federal Government’s $2 billion fibre-optic rollout for rural inclusion while mobilising agencies including the Nigeria Export Promotion Council (NEPC) and the Nigeria Customs Service to provide tailored support, streamlined processes and market-readiness training for WEIDE beneficiaries.
Dr Okonjo-Iweala highlights Nigeria’s digital trade hurdles, noting that “only 45 per cent of Nigerians are connected to the internet today, compared to the global average of 67 per cent.” She stresses that urgent inter-ministerial collaboration is needed to tackle low internet penetration and power supply constraints, adding that “no nation can truly digitise without a steady power supply.”
The WTO DG commended Nigeria for emerging as one of four pilot countries for the Women Exporters in the Digital Economy (WEIDE) Fund.
Nigeria joins Jordan, the Dominican Republic and Mongolia as successful contenders in the $50 million initiative, jointly managed by the WTO and the International Trade Centre (ITC).
According to her, 146 Nigerian women entrepreneurs were selected from 67,000 applicants to receive grants that will help scale their businesses in the digital economy.
She congratulated the awardees and praised Dr Jumoke Oduwole, Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, and her team for leading the successful Abuja launch.
The event also drew top government officials and industry leaders, including Nana Kashim Shettima, wife of Nigeria’s Vice President; Senator John Enoh, Minister of State for Industry; Dr Bosun Tijani, Minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy; Imaan Sulaiman-Ibrahim, Minister of Women Affairs; senior executives of NEPC, Customs, and leading Nigerian banks.
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