The Wife of the Governor of Cross River State, Bishop Eyoanwan Otu, has flagged off the Africa Women in Business Expo in Calabar, the capital of the south-south Nigerian state.
The ‘Africa Women in Business Expo’, which is a continental initiative designed to empower women entrepreneurs in the informal and formal sectors, was marking the Nigerian debut.
The three-day expo was organised by “She Means Business” (SMB), a global network and empowerment platform connecting over 20,000 women entrepreneurs across multiple countries, in collaboration with the Office of the Wife of the Governor of Cross River State.
The representative of the wife of the governor and Press Secretary, Faith Okon-Egbujiem said that the partnership was designed to support women to start, structure and scale their businesses.
Okon-Egbujiem said, “Bishop Otu is loud when it comes to empowering our women to scale their businesses, to start their businesses; whatever can make their lives better, she is up for it.”
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A founding member of SMB and coordinator for Africa, Mary-Collect Kekong, said the organisation has over 50,000 members in more than 20 countries and focuses on helping women gain access to funding, knowledge and business networks.
She said, “we have the potential, we have the talent, we have the creativity. Our women only need the right information and the right channel to scale their businesses.”
Kekong said the expo was deliberately brought to Calabar despite pressure for it to be hosted in Lagos, noting that Cross River women deserved access to opportunities often concentrated in major commercial centres.
“When things like this happen, they usually remain in Lagos. We fought for it to be brought to Calabar because our women also deserve the opportunity to benefit,” she added.
She disclosed that more than 300 women entrepreneurs from different local government areas applied through an online registration process, with successful participants advancing to a pitching and accelerator programme.
According to the organiser, the expo features panel sessions, business pitches, mentorship engagements and grant presentations, while outstanding participants may also qualify for an all-expenses-paid trip to the Global Women in Business Conference in Doha, Qatar, scheduled for October 2026.
She further explained that participants would pitch their business ideas before a panel of judges for opportunities to receive grants ranging from ₦100,000 to ₦500,000, while others would benefit from mentorship and business development training.
