FG Launches Reforms to Empower Women-Owned Businesses

On Monday, during the grand finale of the 2026 International Women’s Month summit in Abuja, Hajiya Imaan Sulaiman Ibrahim, the Minister of Women Affairs and Social Development, announced the Federal Government's new financing and procurement reforms designed to support women-owned businesses. The initiative aims to tackle persistent barriers, particularly the limited access to credit markets that women entrepreneurs face, with 80 percent of women-owned businesses in Nigeria currently lacking access to formal credit.

The government plans to implement a nationwide program called the Social Impact Intervention (SII) that will deliver grants and microcredit to women across all 774 local government areas. This initiative will also include skill acquisition, vocational training, and support for agricultural value chains and clean energy solutions.

Dr. Emomotimi Agama, Director General of the Securities and Exchange Commission, and Mr.

Bola Ajomal, representing the executive commission, emphasized the need for women entrepreneurs to shift from reliance on short-term financing to long-term wealth creation through capital markets.