Organisers of the Muslimah Entrepreneurs Trade Fair have announced plans to host a women-focused business exhibition in Kwara State, positioning it as a model for inclusive economic growth and grassroots enterprise development.
Speaking at a press conference in Ilorin, the convener of the fair, Fatimah Saliu, said the initiative was created to address persistent structural challenges facing women-owned businesses, including limited visibility, weak market access and inadequate opportunities for scale.
She said the trade fair is designed to strengthen women-led small and medium-scale enterprises (SMEs) while supporting local production, job creation and broader economic activity.
“Across Kwara State and Nigeria at large, women play critical roles in household income, food security, manufacturing, services and the creative economy, yet many of their businesses remain informal and unsupported. This platform was created to change that narrative,” Saliu said.
According to her, the event will bring together entrepreneurs from sectors such as food and beverages, fashion, beauty, agro-processing, services and the creative industries, offering a structured marketplace for sales, networking and brand visibility.
While describing the fair as Muslimah-led and values-driven, Saliu stressed that it is open to vendors and members of the public regardless of religious affiliation, noting that inclusivity, professionalism and ethical business practices are central to the initiative.
“Our focus is impact, not exclusivity. The goal is to build a recurring economic platform that supports SMEs, encourages local production and creates employment,” she said.
The organisers commended the Kwara State Government and TAJ Bank for their partnership and called on the media, policymakers, financial institutions and private sector stakeholders to support the initiative, noting that collaboration is critical to sustaining women-focused enterprise programmes.
Saliu also highlighted the role of the media in amplifying development-driven initiatives, adding that increased visibility could translate into stronger markets and improved investor confidence for small businesses.
She urged residents of Kwara State to support local entrepreneurs by patronising women-led enterprises and actively participating in the trade fair, which she said would deliver measurable outcomes in sales growth, business networking and community-level economic activity.
The Muslimah Entrepreneurs Trade Fair is scheduled to hold from January 30 to February 1, 2026, and is expected to serve as a pilot for similar platforms across the country as Nigeria explores inclusive pathways to economic diversification and sustainable development.
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