PoliServe Dialogue 2.0 to Celebrate Rural Women Entrepreneurs

• PoliServe Dialogue 2.0 is scheduled for October 15 at Kabusa Market, Kabusa Village, FCT
• The aims of the event is to mark the International Day of Rural Women
• It is dedicated to empowering women entrepreneurs through innovative and collaborative means

The PoliServe Dialogue 2.0 will be held on October 15 at Kabusa Market, Kabusa Village, FCT. This is the celebration of the International Day of Rural Women and to provide a platform for raising the awareness of women entrepreneurs by using innovation, inclusion and collaboration.

The event is being sponsored by the organization Tech Herfrica, who is mobilizing rural women entrepreneurs, developers, plus government and industry leaders to concur in understanding and developing practical solutions to strengthen and grow women-led businesses and promote sustainable growth.

The PoliServe Dialogue theme this year is “Smart Business, Sustained Growth." This theme will also serve as the launch of the first-round funding of the $100 RuralMarket Fund, a collaborative fund started by Tech Herfrica as a financial partner.

The RuralMarket Fund is based on findings from a pilot we ran in 2023, in which we had a 100 percent repayment, with growth of over 70 percent on business outcome - we use a non-interest, revolving-loans approach based on the commercial principles of operation where they would sustain impacts and accountability in the local marketplace.

Angonimi David-Imeh, Chair of the PoliServe Dialogue 2.0, and CEO of Hope Raisers Global Foundation, said, "Rural women can transition from survival to sustainable growth with the right partnerships and smart financing. This program is about creating legacies of economic resilience, not just funding their businesses."

Additionally, the dialogue will incorporate learning-by-doing activities and showcase some of the practical learning sessions that will cover tax laws, digital readiness for business growth, financial literacy, mental health and wellbeing, and sustainable social enterprise management to give participants a holistic understanding that will inform their enterprise.

Expected attendees include dignitaries and partners from the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC), Small and Medium Enterprises Development Agency of Nigeria (SMEDAN), Federal Capital Territory Internal Revenue Service (FCT-IRS), Federal Ministry of Women Affairs, and Enhancing Financial Innovation and Access (EFInA).

Other partners include GTBank, Hope Raisers Global Foundation, Prince 7 Youth Development Initiative, Rendra Foundation, Holyhill Relief Foundation, Onome Food Market, Organisation of Women in International Trade (OWIT), YALI Network Abuja, Dutch and Doyenne, DeeBlissful Bakes, The Confident Woman, Radiant Futures, The Aziza Development Foundation, McDream Concepts, Faslearn, Orbeets Digi-Tech, Lexicon Media, and Laerryblue Media.

Following the success of PoliServe Dialogue 2024, which received endorsements from the Federal Ministry of Women Affairs, PoliServe Dialogue 2.0 continues the process of bridging policy and practice by ensuring that rural women's entrepreneurs continue to speak to responses that foster effective and sustainable solutions. We are reminded that smart business practices could lead to sustained growth especially when women are valued, supported, and heard.