Our Reporter, Abuja
Nigeria on Thursday hosted the high-profile launch of the Women Exporters in the Digital Economy (WEIDE) Fund, a $50 million initiative jointly managed by the World Trade Organization (WTO) and the International Trade Centre (ITC) to help women entrepreneurs thrive through trade in the digital economy.
Announcing the event in a post on X (formerly Twitter), WTO Director-General Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala hailed it as “a fantastic launch of the Women Exporters in the Digital Economy (WEIDE) fund in Nigeria today!”
Nigeria, she noted, is one of only four countries selected as pilots—alongside Jordan, the Dominican Republic, and Mongolia—after a competitive process. From a pool of over 67,000 applicants, 146 Nigerian women were chosen to receive grants to expand their businesses in the digital economy.
Dr. Okonjo-Iweala congratulated the awardees, the Nigerian Export Promotion Council (NEPC), and Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment H.E. Jumoke Oduwole and her team, describing them as “the backbone” of the successful launch.
The ceremony in Abuja attracted top government officials and industry leaders, including the wife of the Vice President, H.E. Hajia Nana Kashim Shettima; Minister of State for Industry, Senator John Enoh; Minister of Women Affairs, Hajiya Imaan Sulaiman-Ibrahim; and Minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, Dr. Bosun Tijani.
Also present were NEPC Executive Director, Ms. Nonye Ayeni; Comptroller-General of Customs, Mr. Bashir Adewale Adeniyi; Managing Director of Fidelity Bank, Dr. Nneka Onyeali-Ikpe; Managing Director of Guaranty Trust Bank, Ms. Miriam Olusanya; and Managing Director of Access Bank, Mr. Roosevelt Ogbonna.
According to the WTO chief, the WEIDE Fund is designed “to support women to thrive through trade in the digital economy” and will help position beneficiaries to compete in the global marketplace.
