In a move geared towards training and empowering thousands of female entrepreneurs across Nigeria, Facebook in partnership with She Leads Africa launched an initiative called SheMeansBusiness.
According to Facebook, during launch today in Lagos, #SheMeansBusiness, will inspire female entrepreneurs across the country to build, grow and start their own businesses.
Speaking at the launch, Abi Williams, SMB, Sales Manager EMEA, Facebook emphasized the importance of women to Facebook as a company, stressing that the key to unlocking the potentials of the Nigerian economy is in the hands of women.
“Women are mostly pioneering SMEs in Nigeria and the SMEs have the power to define the economic growth of any nation. The number of Facebook pages owned by women recorded an increase of 319 percent in the last one year (2016-2017)
Facebook’s mission in Nigeria is real just as we have seen in Brazil, Mexico, the U.K and other countries. This is the first official launch of #SheMeansBusiness initiative in Africa and Nigeria has taken the lead,” she said.
“#SheMeansBusiness aims to empower personal business ambitions and create opportunities for would-be entrepreneurs in Nigeria to meet and learn from others.”
She explained that the partnership with SheLead Africa will further empower these women to broaden their skills by using digital tools to drive more businesses.
“We are optimistic about women, Nigeria and what we do at Facebook”
She advised women to begin to leverage Facebooks’s platform of Apps which is strategically positioned to drive sales.
Partnering with She Leads Africa (SLA), #SheMeansBusiness Nigeria is the first to launch in Sub-Saharan Africa and will bring together thousands of female entrepreneurs in a series of day workshops and training sessions across six cities in Nigeria, including Lagos, Kaduna, Port Harcourt, Ibadan, Abuja, and Aba.
With applications opening on March 27th, 2018 at sheleadsafrica.org/shemeansbusiness, training sessions will then be followed by post-training clinics aimed at re-engaging, advising and mentoring participants.
Commenting on the partnership and training Afua Osei, Co-Founder of She Leads Africa added “We’re excited to continue our partnership with Facebook to expand access to the digital skills necessary to move African businesses forward.
As We know that with the right tools and support, African women can compete on a global level and we look forward to taking these critical digital tools to entrepreneurs all across Nigeria.”
As part of the launch, a dedicated #SheMeansBusiness website will also be developed and feature:
* Inspiring stories from female trailblazers who are following their dreams. These are the entrepreneurs who are redefining what’s possible for women in business in Nigeria – inspiring those who might one day become new entrepreneurs themselves
* Free tools and resources – online courses to give more women across Nigeria the tools, support and practical advice they need to grow their businesses
* Access and information to a link of communities who can help advise and direct on setting and achieving business goals
