Fabian Ekeruche
The Coca-Cola Foundation says it is supporting Nigerian business women with 10,000 dollars grant to acquire digital skills.
This is contained in a statement signed by Mr Segun Olabode, Analyst at Precise platform and made available to the newsmen on Sunday in Lagos.
According to the statement, Wivesroundtable Foundation has announced the relaunch of its Digital Academy for Female Entrepreneurs (D.A.F.E) program, designed to improve the livelihoods of female entrepreneurs in Lagos state.
“This phase of the program is supported by a $10,000 grant from The Coca-Cola Foundation (TCCF),” the statement said.
It said that the initiative, which seeks to economically transform the businesses of 500 women in the Surulere area of Lagos through increased levels of digital literacy, was expected to run from March 2, till May 2023.
The statement said that the programme would help boost the overall efficiencies of small businesswomen and will scale their businesses, increase revenue, and create more jobs in their communities.
The statement quoted Amaka Chibuzo-Obi, Founder/Programme Director at the Wivesroundtable Foundation, as saying that the Foundation was committed to supporting low-income women to live better lives for themselves, their families, and society.
She said: “We are committed to making a meaningful impact in the lives of the women in our communities.
“Having The Coca-Cola Foundation support us in this mandate, is something we will always be grateful for”.
The statement also quoted TCCF President, Saadia Madsbjerg, as saying that the foundation continues to support such initiatives based on its legacy of driving community wellbeing in Africa through grants to non-profit organizations for social impact programs.
“We are thrilled to partner with Wivesroundtable Foundation as they work to bridge the digital divide by empowering middle-aged female entrepreneurs to upscale their business operations and thrive in a competitive landscape,” Saadia Madsbjerg said.
She said that the number of female entrepreneurs in Nigeria has increased over the years due to opportunities made available to women.
The president said that the initiative also reflected a pillar of the system’s African sustainability platform, JAMII, which is to economically empower women and youth entrepreneurs in Africa.
She said that through its unique style of education, the initiative was designed to increase the interest of women in technology and the utilization of digital tools which will help create more digitally savvy women, reduce inequality in the digital space and boost income.
She added that the initiative would take the women through a curriculum encompassing an introduction to social media, social media strategies as well as digital marketing.