Coca-Cola Foundation Supports 1,000 Women Entrepreneurs in Nigeria

Investing in the future of women-led businesses in Nigeria, The Coca-Cola Foundation has given a grant to Leading Ladies Africa to help 1,000 women entrepreneurs through its Enterprise and Leadership Program (ELP).

This project will enable 1,000 women entrepreneurs to develop the necessary skillset and knowledge needed for starting, operating, and growing a sustainable business.  In addition to entrepreneurship education, the ELP project will offer business development assistance and access to market opportunities, which will make it possible for participants to enhance their chances for success.

With this project, the Foundation intends to empower women as entrepreneurs and create more jobs for the greater good of economic development in communities.

According to the organisers, the Enterprise and Leadership Programme acts as a strategic tool for ensuring that women entrepreneurs are provided with the skills and knowledge needed to build robust businesses and sustain their commercial success in the future. This can be achieved through specific training programs, mentoring, and capacity building to make sure that the ideas can be turned into businesses that will generate significant economic and social value.

Generally, this campaign has been linked to the global objectives concerning gender equality, job creation, and economic growth. According to Francesca Uriri, a Nigerian social entrepreneur, more than 500 women entrepreneurs have benefited from the program since its inception in 2019.

Key Highlights:

• Coca-Cola Foundation backs 1,000 women entrepreneurs in Nigeria
• ELP offers training, mentorship, and seed funding for MSMEs
• Initiative advances women’s leadership and economic inclusion

She further noted that the program is in line with wider efforts aimed at creating an inclusive and equitable business environment through the increased involvement of women in entrepreneurial ventures and leadership roles in the continent.

The participants will be trained on entrepreneurship skills, mentored by successful business people and provided with seed capital funding to develop their ideas into viable business ventures. The implementation of the program will start in Benin City before rolling it out to Warri.

Saadia Madsbjerg, a global philanthropy executive and a former President of The Coca-Cola Foundation, reiterates that women’s empowerment is central to inclusive economic development in order to ensure more people benefit from the development processes throughout the African continent.

Saadia explains that investing in women entrepreneurs will not only result in positive outcomes, but also will provide a multiplier effect creating economic development of the businesses, job creation, and economic empowerment of families and communities. She hopes that the financial support from the Foundation will allow expanding opportunities for economic empowerment of Nigerian women.

She also commended the efforts of the Leading Ladies Africa that continuously supports and promotes the empowerment of women and girls through different projects related to the development of leadership skills, entrepreneurship, and the creation of social impact. Through the creation of the community of leading women, this organization contributes greatly to the expansion of opportunities for women and girls in Africa.

The program acts as a strategic growth accelerator for women entrepreneurs running their MSMEs through business training, professional mentoring, and funding support. The program targets some of the major problems that female owned enterprises face. Lack of capital, constraints of business networks, and lack of knowledge on how to grow the business are some of the major problems faced. Through the program, entrepreneurial capabilities are improved as well as the ability to innovate and expand.