Aisha Babangida Seeks Actionable Gender Reforms, as Women Entrepreneurs Share ₦10m WenA Awards
Founder of the Women Enterprise Alliance (WenA), Aisha Babangida, has challenged Nigerian policymakers to match their promises with action by implementing practical, gender-inclusive reforms that give women entrepreneurs a fair chance to thrive.
Babangida spoke in Abuja on Wednesday at the 5th WenA Conference, themed “Translating Policy into Practice: Cost Reduction and Tax Reforms for Sustainable SME Growth.”
She said Nigerian women in business are “building the economy from the ground up” yet continue to face crippling taxes, high costs, and poor access to finance.
“Empowering women in business means empowering the entire nation,” she declared to a round of applause.
The WenA founder commended the UN Women Nigeria’s Care Policy Initiative and Kaduna State’s Affirmative Procurement Reform, saying they show what is possible when gender equality moves from words to measurable action.
She revealed that WenA will soon launch training and certification programmes to help women entrepreneurs benefit from such policy windows.
“We must move beyond talk and take tangible action to ensure equal access and fair opportunities for women in business,” she added.
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The highlight of the event was the North-Central Business Innovation Awards, where three women-owned enterprises received ₦10 million in total. The top winner went home with ₦5 million, while the first and second runners-up bagged ₦3 million and ₦2 million, respectively.
In line with WenA’s grassroots drive, 50 women-owned SMEs will also enjoy free business registration, a move Babangida said would “knock down the walls that stop many from starting.”
Also speaking, the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Entrepreneurship Development and Innovation in the Digital Economy, Ms Chayla Shagaya, said President Bola Tinubu’s administration is determined to cut costs for small businesses and expand access to credit.
“Women-led SMEs are the quiet economists of every household,” she said, adding that 70 per cent of public submissions on SME policy reforms came from women.
The Executive Chairman of FIRS, Dr Zacch Adedeji, represented by Mr Olufemi Olarinde, announced that starting January 2026, businesses earning below ₦100 million yearly will be exempted from corporate income tax.
“Taxation should support small businesses — not stifle them,” he said, revealing plans for a Unified Tax Identification Number (UTIN) that would merge data across FIRS, CAC, and other agencies.
The one-day conference, supported by UN Women, FIRS, FCMB, and Welcome2Africa, drew senior government officials, entrepreneurs, and development partners who shared strategies for making women-led businesses key players in Nigeria’s economic recovery.
