*Invites registrations to become part of the BRAVE Women Nigeria beneficiaries.
The Business Resilience Assistance for Value-adding Enterprises for Women (BRAVE Women) Nigeria Project officially launched in Kano, on Tuesday, 22 June 2021. Participants The event audience was composed of a healthy mix of Business Associations, Lead Firms and small and medium scale enterprises (SMEs) along with federal and state government representatives from Small and Medium Enterprises Development Agency of Nigeria (SMEDAN), National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), Corporate Affairs Commission of Nigeria (CAC), the Kano State Ministry of Commerce and the Chamber of Commerce rounding up the attendees.
The event was part of efforts geared at creating awareness and informing stakeholders about the BRAVE Women Nigeria Project. It was particularly focused on encouraging eligible SMEs, lead firms and business association to register during the call for applications taking place until 17 July 2021.
Addressing attendees, Mukhtar Bawuro, the Regional Manager for the Bank of Industry (BOI)’sNorth West Zone, informed attendees that “the BRAVE Women Nigeria Project is part of BOI’s larger mandate and effort to support women-run businesses in Nigeria”. He added that the Bank “has a mandate to provide financial assistance for the establishment of MSMEs and enjoined everyone present to view BOI as an able and willing partner to spur entrepreneurship in Nigeria”. He concluded by encouraging attendees to take full advantage of the opportunities available to them on the Project.
Topic covered at the workshop included an overview of the BRAVE Women Nigeria Project and the opportunities available for beneficiaries. Participants were also advised on the selection criteria and how to apply to be a beneficiary on the Project.
Women owned or led SMEs, Lead Firms and Business Associations that register and are selected to become project beneficiaries will receive training on business continuity management, business advisory support with preparing a business continuity plan to build resilience for their business and value chains. These firms will also be eligible to apply for a matching grant towards business recovery support (for SMEs) or towards value chain resilience support (for lead firms and business associations). Matching grants on the project range from 5,000 to 50,000 USD.
BRAVE Women Nigeria is also set to hold seminar events in Gombe and Edo States as part of promotional activities taking place between June and July 2021.
Interested applicants are encouraged to complete the registration process by visiting https://bravewomenng.com/register/ or walking into the BOI offices in Kano for assistance by a member of the BRAVE Women Nigeria Project team.
About BRAVE Women Nigeria
Business Resilience Assistance for Value-Adding Enterprises for Women in Nigeria (BRAVE Women Nigeria) is part of the Women Entrepreneurs Finance Initiative (We-Fi) funded through the Islamic Development Bank-funded. It is being executed by Nigeria’s Bank of Industry. It combines elements of training for 600 firms and grant-matching for 500 women-led SMEs, 20-30 lead firms and 10 business associations with the aim of supporting them for growth and resilience. The project seeks to enable an empowering business environment for women entrepreneurs in Nigeria and strengthen their resilience.
This phase of the Project is being implemented in Edo, Gombe and Kano States and is expected to end in April 2023.
