Chinyere Anyanwu
Alternative Adverts Network Services Limited, in collaboration with the National Association of Small & Medium Enterprises (NASME) and other partners, is set to empower over 5,000 women in business with Information, Tools and Funds (ITF) to enable them thrive in their businesses.
This, the organisation said it intends to achieve through its forthcoming SMEs Fast Track 2018 (Women in Business Edition) programme billed to hold in Lagos on November 21, 2018 from 9am to 5pm at D’Podium International Convention Centre, Aromire Avenue, Ikeja.
Speaking with newsmen in Lagos on Wednesday, the Chief Executive Officer of Alternative Adverts and convener of the programme, Mr. Emmanuel Nwafor, said the organisation, in recognition of the challenges facing operators in the Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs), was organising the event as its contribution to government’s efforts to bring all-inclusive growth to the SMEs sector.
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Nwafor explained that, “having worked with SMEs for a long time, we realised that there’s a lot the SMEs are not doing well and we want to help them out to the best of our ability. We are focusing on women because Nigeria’s business environment is difficult, especially for women, so they need all the support they can get.”
According to Nwafor, the event themed, “Women in Business: Challenges and Opportunities”, in addition, is “packaged exclusively for women and focused on meeting Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) that are women-centred.”
Expressing the organisation’s belief in “the role of SMEs in creating new opportunities and frontiers to foster women’s economic empowerment and inclusion,” he said, “we believe one of the most effective ways to promote women’s empowerment, especially in markets or value chains that are traditionally male dominated, is to invest and make deliberate efforts in time, money and other resources necessary to make the real impact in niche ventures that are adjacent to the core business of the enterprise.”
Also speaking, the Chief Finance Officer and Managing Partner of Insight Consultants, Mr. Veginus Ojiaku, stated that the SMEs Fast Track is aimed at giving “over 5,000 women opportunity to learn new things and to source for funds. We’ve made contact with banks and corporate bodies to come around and tell the women what is there for them. The event is going to be fully empowering in the areas of mentorship.
Our effort is geared towards empowering the women and ensuring they have tools to operate in a challenging environment like ours.”
For his part, the SMEs Fast Track Consultant, Mr. Evans Edebor, stated that, “this is something we are doing to get our people better informed, better equipped and given funding to enable them thrive.”
He assured that, “at the event, participants who are starting up newly with interest in specific areas will have opportunity of being linked with those who are already a step ahead in their fields of interest, for proper guidance and necessary assistance.”
The event, which promises to be resourceful, will feature training sessions, opportunities for networking and the funding aspect. Prospective participants, exhibitors, advertisers and sponsors could visit the organisation’s website, www.smefasttrack.com for registration.