NEPC to Disburse First Tranche of WEIDE Fund Grants in Q1 2026

• The NEPC has announced that it intends to finance the first tranche of the WEIDE Fund
• The fund has a worth of $50 million and focuses on catering to female exporters
• The disbursement will be made after completing processes related to capacity building.

The Executive Director/Chief Executive Officer, Nigerian Export Promotion Council (NEPC), Nonye Ayeni, has reassured the beneficiaries of the $50m Women Exporters in the Digital Economy (WEIDE) Fund that the first tranche payment of the grant will be made in the first quarter of 2026, after the capacity building/compliance aspects have been completed.

In her speech during the town hall meeting for beneficiaries of funds in Abuja, Nonye reiterated the commitment of the NEPC to solving challenges hampering women in international trade, particularly in the area of access to funds.

Nonye acknowledged the challenges faced by women in acquiring credit and the efforts by the council to remove such challenges.

She stated that the WEIDE initiative is more than a funding programme and aims to cover a range of financing and capacity issues. She stated that the project puts a lot of emphasis on skills development, financial literacy, bookkeeping, tax issues, and business planning skills for sustainability.

She added: “Training activities will also be undertaken in conjunction with the disbursement of grants in order to keep the participants actively involved.” As quoted by her, “The WEP team will be monitoring progress based on the output of the coaching sessions to ensure the beneficiaries derive maximum benefits from this initiative.”

“The WEP team will also work closely with all those who participated to ensure that they benefit as much as possible from the initiative, as it is competitive and selective,” stated Nonye, also urging those who participated to take “advantage of training, certification, mentorship, and market access, whether or not they are granted funding.” “Progress, outcomes, and lessons learned will be recorded and shared," she concluded.

However, she clarified that the WEIDE Fund was an international effort by the World Trade Organisation (WTO) and the International Trade Centre (ITC), which aimed at promoting women's entrepreneurship in Developing Countries, including Nigeria, via training, funding, as well as digital trade.

The initiative aims to help women exporters in growing their businesses from a small scale to a global level, with 146 Nigerian female entrepreneurs benefiting from the initiative as a result of the launch of the programme.

Nonye stated that intensive training programs were carried out among the selected participants once the initiative was officially launched in August.

"We also saw the growth of the non-oil exports category, a positive development," she added. Nonye also said NEPC has delivered a number of programs in the country through the offices they maintain in regions as a means for tens of thousands of people to benefit from the support programs for obtaining international certifications among others.

“NEPC plans to sponsor international certification for other participants this year and will focus on mentorship and participation by exporters,” she quoted the NEPC as saying.