Nigeria’s Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Jumoke Oduwole, says women-led businesses will play a central role in driving the country’s industrial growth and participation in the African Continental Free Trade Area.
Dr. Oduwole spoke at a high-level colloquium in Abuja where government officials, policymakers and private sector leaders met to examine strategies for expanding opportunities for women entrepreneurs within Africa’s rapidly integrating market.
She described the continental trade agreement as a transformative platform capable of linking more than 1.3 billion people within a market valued at over three trillion dollars.
“This conversation is fundamentally about capital and opportunity,” the Minister said.
“When women-led enterprises have access to finance, markets and the right institutional support, they become powerful engines of industrial growth, job creation and trade expansion.”
She noted that Nigeria stands to benefit significantly from the continental trade framework if women entrepreneurs are intentionally supported to scale their businesses beyond national borders.
According to her, expanding opportunities for women-led enterprises aligns with the country’s ambition of building a one-trillion-dollar economy through stronger exports and increased participation in intra-African trade.
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Also speaking, the Minister of State for Industry, John Owan Enoh, said Nigeria’s economic gains from AfCFTA would depend largely on the competitiveness of its industries.
“Trade agreements alone do not industrialise nations,” he said. “Nigeria’s leadership within AfCFTA will ultimately depend on the strength of our industries and the competitiveness of our enterprises.”
He added that although women are already active across key sectors of Nigeria’s economy, many still face structural barriers to financing and market access.
“If Nigeria is to truly lead the AfCFTA,” Senator Enoh said, “we must unlock the productive potential of women-led enterprises at scale.”
Unlocking the Benefits of Continental Agreement
Nigeria’s Minister of Women Affairs, Imaan Sulaiman-Ibrahim, emphasized the importance of gender-responsive trade policies in unlocking the benefits of the continental agreement.
“We must remove the barriers that limit women’s participation in trade and enterprise,” she said.
“Empowering women economically is not only a question of fairness; it is a strategic investment in Nigeria’s prosperity.”
She also announced a new partnership between the Federal Ministry of Women Affairs and the Federal Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment aimed at expanding access to finance for export-ready women entrepreneurs.
The collaboration will focus on initiatives such as export readiness training, digital trade capacity development and the creation of a national database of women-owned businesses.
The Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, Didi Esther Walson-Jack, said women’s participation in trade and enterprise remains critical to Africa’s economic transformation.
“Across the continent, women continue to drive innovation, entrepreneurship and enterprise development,” she said. “Their full participation will be critical to the success of AfCFTA and to Nigeria’s broader economic transformation.”