In a major step towards supporting the entrepreneurial activities of female-owned businesses in Africa and helping them achieve their full potentials, Flourish Africa – a female empowerment Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) founded by Nigerian businesswoman and philanthropist Apostle Folorunso Alakija has unveiled its training partners for the Flourish Africa Business and Life Skills Training.
Speaking at a press conference held in Lagos on Monday, March 14, 2022, the founder, Apostle Alakija, announced Eloh Consulting Limited, Google, and PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) as its training partners.
She disclosed that a minimum of 500 female micro-entrepreneurs will be trained annually. After the training, 100 audacious entrepreneurs from the pool will access grants of a maximum of N2million according to their business needs and capacities from an annual fund of 200 million Naira.
She further explained that Eloh Consulting Limited will train the female entrepreneurs in 10 modules of management development over three months, Google will provide free digital skills training and Google Business Profile verification for female entrepreneurs. Similarly, PWC will train the women on the tax regulations and requirements for doing business in Nigeria, so that their businesses can be tax compliant.
“I launched the Flourish Africa 1 billion Naira Fund last year during my 70th birthday as a gift to hardworking and enterprising women. This initiative will focus on empowering women economically and socially for the benefit of their immediate families and the society,” she said.
In her remarks at the press conference, Lilian Uwaeme, Partner – Eloh Consulting Limited, stated that the company is proud to be partnering with Flourish Africa because the vision to empower five hundred (500) female entrepreneurs this year is a laudable one that aligns with Eloh Consulting’s values of empowerment.
“We have put together a group of seasoned facilitators with vast industry experience to facilitate this programme. We are also providing female entrepreneurs with a one-year business plan advisory support. This is to ensure that at the end of the programme, they would be equipped with knowledge and skills that will enable them to run sustainable and profitable businesses”, said Uwaeme.
Also speaking during the press conference, Mr. Kenneth Erikume, Director, Tax Reporting & Strategy, PricewaterhouseCoopers said “We believe that this initiative will empower the beneficiaries to understand the need to properly register their businesses and intellectual property, understand their role as good corporate citizens and comply with their tax obligations. According to him, PwC is supporting the programme as part of its Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) efforts. “The initiative aligns with our interest to support gender diversity in the Nigerian business
landscape and the future and growth of Nigerian entrepreneurs,” he said. Mrs Mojolaoluwa Aderemi-Makinde, Regional Head Brand and Reputation, Africa – Google stated that supporting small businesses, particularly those run by women, to have access to the resources they need to expand, grow, and thrive is at the heart of Google’s work in Africa.
Despite high rates of female entrepreneurship in Africa, women-owned businesses have a 34% lower profit margin than those run by men and are less likely to receive funding and investment. “By providing free digital skills training and Google Business Profile verification, we can support more women entrepreneurs to boost their business exposure, while simultaneously teaching them how to scale their businesses using Web tools.” Aderemi-Makinde said.
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