In continuation of this year’s International Women’s Day Celebration, Meta in partnership with She Leads Africa, FATE Foundation and Afrigrants hosted 50 women-business owners to an exclusive dinner on Friday, 11th March 2022 at the EbonyLife Place in Lagos, to celebrate their remarkable achievements.
The theme for Meta’s IWD celebration this year, #Beyond, applauds the resilience and impact of women-owned businesses by spotlighting their role in bridging access to essential services and products during the COVID-19 pandemic. The event featured panel discussions with female business leaders who spoke on the theme by highlighting a future beyond resilience alongside inspirational stories and advice.
Commenting during the event, Adaora Ikenze, Head of Public Policy for Anglophone West Africa, said, at Meta,
we are dedicated to empowering women and women-owned businesses navigate through uncharted paths. We recognise the resilience of women entrepreneurs and we are happy to celebrate them on this International Women’s Day. We are delighted to have partnered with She Leads Africa, FATE Foundation and Afrigrants to honour these women who have remained resilient and innovative during and post the Pandemic period.
In her keynote address, Hajia Aisha Abubakar, Chairwoman NACCIMA Business Women Group and former Minister of State for Industry, Trade and Investment, encouraged women not to underestimate their value, to break the bias and keep pushing beyond the boundaries. In addition, a panel session was led by the Weekend Editor of BusinessDay Newspaper, Lehle Balde, with panellists including Adenike Adeyemi, CEO, FATE Foundation; Abosede Alimi (George-Ogan), Founder, WILAN Global & ElectHER; Thelma Ekiyor, Founder Afrigrants; and Kofo Adebiyi, CEO, She Leads Africa.
A fireside chat was also moderated by Oluwasola Obagbemi, Corporate Communications Manager, Anglophone West Africa at Meta. On the panel were, Dami Olokesusi, Founder of Shuttlers.NG; Jumoke Dada, Founder of Taeillo; and Tosin Olaseinde, Founder, Money Africa & Ladda NG stressed the need to make an intentional and deliberate change that would give women the opportunity they deserve.
The event also celebrated the collaboration between Meta and its local partners who have succeeded in championing initiatives that support women business owners in Nigeria. One such initiative is the #SheMeansBusiness, a program aimed at equipping women-business owners with digital marketing skills to achieve their business goals. So far, the program has directly trained over 20,000 female entrepreneurs in Nigeria and will reach more this year.
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