NFNV-Nigeria holds national roundtable on women financial inclusion, economic recovery
As an outcome of the recent convening of high-level Expert Group of African Women Leaders (ELG) in the finance sector by the Graça Machel Trust (GMT), New Faces, New Voices (NFNV-Nigeria) is convening a national roundtable to critically assess the financial and economic ecosystem in women’s path to business recovery, post COVID-19.
By Stephen Enoch
The roundtable is holding against backdrop of the 2022 Women’s Month under the theme: #BreakTheBias. New Faces New Voices (NFNV) is a pan-African women in finance network under the Graça Machel Trust (GMT) focused on stimulating changes in the financial sector so as to empower African women to contribute to an essential shift in the business and financial landscape across the continent.
A press statement by NFNV Nigeria says the roundtable which will be in hybrid format will be held March 15, 2022 in Abuja, Nigeria, under the theme: “Building an inclusive financial ecosystem for women-led businesses in Nigeria – post-Covid-19”. Amongst others, the roundtable will bring together key government representatives, professionals in the financial, economic and private sectors as well as business support organisations.
“In 2021, NFNV-Nigeria in partnership with other networks under the GMT, conducted a research on women in finance whose findings revealed many women-owned businesses had crashed as a result of the reduction in consumer demand. Consequently, 92.4% of women were unable to service their debts and float their businesses. Also, a huge number of women were oblivious of the many government financial interventions because they perceive it as not inclusive, democratized and inaccessible,” said the statement.
To arrest this trend, NFNV Nigeria said its national roundtable would among others, evaluate how key government financial policies, programs and interventions could cushion the aftermath effects of the Covid-19 pandemic as well as recommending actions that would guarantee a gender-inclusive post-Covid-19 reclamation to ensure Nigeria builds back better. “Thus, the roundtable will also identify, recommend and evaluate policies, procedures and programs aimed at promoting inclusive digitalization,” the statement said.
In a related development, NFNV Nigeria has announced its new partnership with Sterling Bank Alternative Finance to avail Nigerian women the opportunity to access financing of up to ₦100 million to meet their business needs, at lower interest rates.
You can register to participate in the national roundtable here