At the GEN Nigeria (Global Entrepreneurship Network) recently hosted “Women Enterprise Day” event with the theme “Women Who Lead, Ventures That Thrive”, stakeholders in the industry emphasized the importance of vision, values, and long-term impact for women-led businesses, and encouraged women to build sustainable enterprises rather than focusing solely on short-term gains.
The event was part of the larger Global Entrepreneurship Week (GEW) 2025 activities in Nigeria, and was powered by GEN Nigeria in collaboration with Providus Bank to bring together women-led businesses to mark GEW 2025.
The core message emphasized the importance of vision, values, and long-term impact for women-led businesses, encouraging them to build sustainable enterprises rather than focusing solely on short-term profits. The event served as a platform to celebrate the impact of women leaders and innovators across various industries in Nigeria
Speaking on the theme “Women Who Lead, Ventures That Thrive”, the guest Speaker and co-founder of SoFresh, Mrs Abimbola Balogun, said that to build a sustainable business and compete favorably with their male counterparts, women must be able to see beyond short-term profits but focus on long-term gains.
Mrs. Balogun, who recognised the women who have continued to blaze the trail in the industry, stressed that “Women can do it. They are already doing it, and they can do it. So, let’s build and lead,” She added.
She said, “I have always advised on what the woman who leads ventures that thrive want to become, what they need to do, and what they need to have. All they need to have is clarity of vision and purpose, which is very important.”
Mrs. Balogun added that “To achieve this, women need to build a high-performance team, and for them to protect their health, their finances, wellbeing, and balance compassion with accountability, they need to build a system and structure that is sustainable.”
Dr. Nnenna Ugwu, Head, Alumni Relations at the Enterprise Development Center of Pan Atlantic University, and a member of the management board of EDC, who spoke on believing in one’s ability and capability, said, “As a woman, believe in yourself, believe that you can do it, and conquer that fear. It does not matter how many times we fail; what matters is that we succeed. Therefore, as women, we must be able to conquer our fears and do what men are doing to succeed despite mounting challenges against us.”
She said, “At EDC, our blueprint is the fact that we want to make women succeed. We want to continuously build women’s capabilities, and to create an enabling environment for them to thrive. We want to encourage women to support each other. We want to make sure that women know they can do it. So, there is nothing like competition. Women are collaborating to win. Women are just trying to be a voice out there; we can do it,” she added.
Lead, SME Development & Strategy at Providus Bank, Damilola Feyide said, “We have heard from different panel sessions on how they can scale their businesses and grow their businesses. So, it’s really just a knowledge-sharing platform that is happening today and also an opportunity to receive funds to grow your business.
“This is the time to be audacious. There are so many things available, so many platforms, so many things are coming up, and I think this is the time for us to really step out and collaborate and then grow our businesses so that this nation can keep prospering. She added.
Shuhda Mohammed, Founder of Tri-Point Academy, said “Tri-Point Academy is one of the major supporters of women in northern Nigeria, especially the enterprising women. We had to be a part of this. Women should be celebrated more; we are doing a lot. There’s so much going on in our lives besides the work we do, and one of those events is the Women Enterprise Day celebrated in every Global Entrepreneurship Week.
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