Facebook unveils #SheMeansBusiness to boost women entrepreneurship

Social media giant, Facebook, on Tuesday in Lagos, unveiled an initiative known as #SheMeansBusiness to boost women entrepreneurship in Nigeria. Facebook’s Public Policy Director, Africa, Ms. Ebele Okobi, said the initiative was designed to inspire and train female entrepreneurs. Okobi said the initiative would inspire women to start and grow their own businesses. According to […]

Social media giant, Facebook, on Tuesday in Lagos, unveiled an initiative known as #SheMeansBusiness to boost women entrepreneurship in Nigeria.

Facebook’s Public Policy Director, Africa, Ms. Ebele Okobi, said the initiative was designed to inspire and train female entrepreneurs.

Okobi said the initiative would inspire women to start and grow their own businesses.

According to Okobi, a recent study conducted by Development Economics on behalf of Facebook shows that businesses set up by women in Nigeria in the next five years hold the key to unlocking N19.7bn for Nigeria’s economy.

She noted that the study also showed that such businesses had the opportunity of creating 8.9 million jobs.

”The study conducted by Development Economics further highlights this, with the research suggesting that an estimated seven million new businesses could be set up by women in Nigeria by 2021.

“This places greater importance on women’s entrepreneurial ambitions for overall economic and social development of the country,” she said.

The Policy Programmes Manager, EMEA, Facebook, Ms. Sherry Dzinoreva, said the initiative was the first in Africa, noting that it had been launched in Turkey, the United Kingdom, Mexico, among other countries.

Dzinorewa said  SheMeansBusiness was aimed to train 50,000 female small and medium entrepreneurs and create opportunities that would inspire and empower others.

SMB Sales Manager, EMEA, Facebook, Ms. Abi Williams, said Facebook created platforms that democratised marketing and capitalised on the use of mobile phones.

Williams advised small and medium business operators to utilise opportunities provided by Facebook as a digital platform.

She listed funds constraint, lack of knowledge of how to start and unpreparedness as some hindrances to women’s development of interest in business.

Co-founder of “She Leads Africa”, Ms. Afua Osei, said the organisation was partnering with Facebook to train women in SMEs to grow their businesses.

She said her platform would continue partnership with Facebook in order to expand access to the digital skills necessary to move African businesses forward.

SheMeansBusiness will bring together thousands of female entrepreneurs in series of workshops and training sessions across six cities in Nigeria, including Lagos and Abuja. (NAN)