The Nigerian Export Promotion Council, NEPC, says it has facilitated the disbursement of nearly N1 billion in grants to 128 women-owned export-oriented businesses under the Women Exporters in the Digital Economy, WEIDE, Fund. The initiative is aimed at helping women entrepreneurs use digital tools to access global markets.

 According to NEPC Executive Director, Mrs. Nonye Ayeni, 121 businesses received Discovery Grants of 5,000 US dollars each, while 7 businesses got Booster Grants of 15,000 US dollars each. She disclosed this at a town hall meeting with exporters in Lagos. In total, 710,000 US dollars, equivalent to about 979.8 million naira, has been disbursed.

The WEIDE Fund is designed to strengthen women-led businesses by providing access to finance, business development services, digital skills, and international market opportunities. It targets Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises that are export-oriented and ready to scale through digital trade.

The Fund is a joint initiative of the International Trade Centre and the World Trade Organization, with financial support from the United Arab Emirates, the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 Legacy Fund, and the Kingdom of Bahrain. Globally, the WEIDE Fund is worth 50 million US dollars and seeks to bridge the digital financing gap for women-led MSMEs.

Mrs. Ayeni attributed Nigeria’s selection as one of only four beneficiary countries to the Federal Government’s trade facilitation reforms and projects under the Renewed Hope Agenda. She said the reforms made Nigeria stand out for the global programme.

The NEPC boss noted that the Council emerged as the successful Business Support Organisation from over 600 organisations across Africa that applied to participate in the programme. She said NEPC will continue to support women exporters to grow and compete internationally.

Officials say the grants will enable more Nigerian women to leverage digital platforms, improve product competitiveness, and expand into new export markets. NEPC added that the support aligns with government efforts to diversify the economy and increase non-oil export earnings.