By Kingsley Chukwuka
The President of African Women Network (TAWN), Mrs Patience Okeahialam, has said she is set to reveal to women in Africa the secret on how to put their businesses in the global markets in the challenging times of the COVID-19 pandemic
Okeahialam said the opportunity will be revealed to women on Saturday 7th August in Lagos during the TAWN 4th anniversary.
Anchoring on the theme: “Business Growth In Challenging Times”, the TAWN boss said the organisation will be giving loans to women entrepreneurs as starter packs without collateral
“If you are a businesswoman, you cannot afford to miss this event. Come take a loan without collateral, 50k each (free) to four businesswomen who can pitch their businesses well, 50% insurance discount”, she said.
According to Okeahialam, women should create advantage for themselves by being informed about their environment, including having understanding of government policies.
“If you do not know the direction of government policy, you cannot know if you are working against the direction of such policy and that will leave you in the dark. It is important you create advantage for yourself, so that you can compete, and part of that advantage is in you educating yourself, so that you will be able to compete.”
Okeahialam said the way the world is structured makes room for small businesses that understand the power of connectivity to thrive.
“It does not matter how little your business is, or the products you are dealing with, there is a global reference point, that affects what you do, at the corner of your room, because every action somewhere has a ripple effect that will eventually land at your doorstep, your ability to survive situations like that gives you an edge,” she said.
Continuing, she said: “No matter how little your business is, the connectivity across the whole world will affect it. It is important that you pay attention to what is going on around the world. Pay attention to political issues, because political issues from around the world and local environment impact the economy of your country and your business”.
She urged women to ensure they capitalise on the growing e-commerce space, adding that e-Transactions in Nigeria is now larger than the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of Nigeria even without the telcos putting full hug into it.