Female Entrepreneurs Urge Govt to Improve Business Environment
Female entrepreneurs under the umbrella of the NECA’s Network of Entrepreneurial Women (NNEW) have advised the federal government to enhance the current investment atmosphere in the country by removing existing impediments.
The entrepreneurs particularly appealed to the government to intervene in the issues of multiple taxation and high electricity bills which are currently constraining businesses and eroding profitability. Speaking at the February entrepreneurship forum with the theme: “Pushing through Barriers in 2021,” Chairperson of NNEW Abuja chapter, Mrs. Amina Zanna Ibrahim, also pointed out that lack of adequate funding remained a major obstacle to the growth of entrepreneurship in the country, and called on the government to save the situation. She told THISDAY that the quarterly forum allows business women both members and non-members to network, share ideas and information and linkages as well as challenges and opportunities to help advance their businesses.
She said, among other things, that, “The association connects you to funding sources and opportunities and gives you market access where to advertise our products.
“We also collaborate with one another to achieve our business objectives. Members also get a lot of information on how to run your businesses successfully and every week we have interactive session on our WhatsApp group where we are told how to run start and grow our businesses.”
In addition, Ibrahim said the group also embarks on monthly training and provides linkages to government sources, “things that ordinarily you don’t have access to.”
She added: “And we are women helping women and it’s a very beautiful network and I encourage any business person to join. It’s a place to be.” Also speaking at the forum, National Assistant/ Publicity Secretary, NNEW, Mrs. Ngozi Alichi, said the programme was conceptualised for the month of February to put the women who are significantly entrepreneurs, in the state of mind they all needed to be and to be able to carry through 2021.
She said: “People exited 2020 with different tales of woes because they didn’t expect COVID-19 that was a significant part of the year and here we are again.
“It might not be all rosy all the way but there’s something we can do and that is is the knowledge and understanding we have come to get here today.”
According to her, the event had resource persons talk to participants on mental health, “because the state of the mind is very important in how far we can go in whatever we do and with all the pressure that are in the society and the woman being the primary recipient of it all, I dare say that it’s important we talk to ourselves about mental health and how we can handle it to be in the best frame of mind to succeed in 2021”.
She said: “We are also women who are minded on running our businesses very well and so we are having FIRS come to talk to us on things we need to know on taxation so that we are the good citizens that we want to be.
“So, we are raising rounded women who are going to leave a great legacy or pass on great legacy to the next generation.”
The event was organised to help women entrepreneur build alliances for exponential growth and be mentally prepared for great success in 2021.
The Managing Director/ Chief Executive, Nigeria Export Processing Zones (NEPZA), Prof. Adesoji Adesugba, has called on the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to fastrack approval for the establishment of offshore banking to enhance the operation of free trade zones in the country.
He emphasised the challenge of accessing foreign exchange faced by operators in the zones as a result of absence of offshore banking.
Speaking when he guided the Minister of Trade, Industry and Investment, Mr. Niyi Adebayo on an inspection tour of the Kano Free Trade Zone (KFTZ), he said although the authority was in touch with the CBN committee saddled with the responsibility of ensuring that the off-shore banking comes to fruition, “but we are, however, soliciting the intervention of the minister for approval to be given without further delay.”
In a statement by Head, Corporate Communications, NEPZA, Mr. Martins Odeh, Adesugba said, the African Continental Free Trade Area Agreement (AFCTA) presented the country with an exceptional life line to reboot its economy.
He said there was no better time to take advantage of the lofty opportunities provided by the agreement for countries in Africa to seamlessly trade among themselves.
He added that all enterprises operating in the country’s 44 zones were being galvanised to use the trade agreement which commenced January 1 to stay competitive and relevant.
The NEPZA boss said the visit of the minister was a clear indication that the federal government was keen on utilising the zones as a gateway to swiftly revamp the economy.
He said: “The recent approval of N35.4 billion by the federal government for the improvement of electricity infrastructure in both Kano and Calabar free trade zones remains a stride that shows President Muhammed Buhari’s confidence in the scheme’s ability to fast track the country’s industrialisation.
“The authority remains grateful to both the president and the minister for this great feat. As can be seen, the Kano FTZ remains viable in spite of the power challenge.”
On his part, however, the minister described the Kano free trade zone as one of the flagships of the country’s economic zones scheme, adding that NEPZA had done a lot to keep the operations in the zone going.
Adebayo said the authority must be supported to carry out its mandate effectively.
He added that the federal government was committed to repositioning the scheme to make the zones attractive, more profitable and competitive in order to maximally draw from the benefits accruable from the AFCTA.
On the planned concession of the Kano and Calablar zones, the minister urged investors and operators in the two public zones not to fret, adding that their interests would be protected during the negotiation of both deals.