Flourish Africa, a female empowerment Non-Governmental Organization, NGO, founded by Nigerian business woman and philanthropist, Apostle Folorunso Alakija, has unveiled N1 billion grants for Nigeria female entrepreneurs.
Also, the NGO signed pact with Eloh Consulting Limited, Google, and PricewaterhouseCoopers, PwC, as training partners to enhance Flourish Africa Business and Life Skills Training.
Speaking at a media briefing in Lagos, Alakija said that the N1 billion would be spread for a period of five years where a minimum of 500 female micro-entrepreneurs would be trained annually.
After the training, 100 successful entrepreneurs from the pool will access grants of a maximum of N2 million according to their business needs and capacities from an annual fund of N200 million.
She explained that Eloh Consulting Limited would train the female entrepreneurs in 10 modules of management development over three months; Google would train the entrepreneurs to use the “Google My Business” app to create visibility and grow their businesses while PWC will train the women on the tax regulations and requirements for doing business in Nigeria, to ensure tax compliant in their businesses.
She said: “I launched the Flourish Africa N1 billion fund last year during my 70th birthday as a gift to hard working and enterprising women. This initiative will focus on empowering women economically and socially for the benefit of their immediate families and the society.
“Women have been relegated to the background, with the population of women, they need to be supported to come up to a higher level because the world economy is dwindling. The world has left almost 50 per cent of those that can help out in pushing the economy forward behind,” she said.
Also speaking, Managing Partner, Eloh Consulting Limited, Lilian Uwaeme, said that the idea of empowering 500 female entrepreneurs this year aligns with Eloh Consulting’s values of empowerment.
Director, Tax Reporting & Strategy, PwC, Mr. Kenneth Erikume, said: “We believe that this initiative will empower the beneficiaries to understand the need to properly register their businesses and intellectual property, understand their role as good corporate citizens and comply with their tax obligations.
“The initiative aligns with our interest to support gender diversity in the Nigerian business landscape and the future and growth of Nigerian entrepreneurs.”