The Post-Covid Recovery strategy for women-owned MSME’s in Nigeria

According to UN Women, “Pre-existing inequalities faced by women entrepreneurs of micro, small and medium enterprises (MSME) are increasing significantly. For women-owned MSMEs, deeply rooted structural gender inequalities have resulted in unequal access to infrastructure, productive resources and procurement opportunities. COVID-19 has further and disproportionately impacted women entrepreneurs insofar as women-led MSMEs are more likely than those led by men to be concentrated in sectors with lower profit margins or to be operating in sectors impacted by lockdown restrictions.”

For the past year, a lot of women have been disadvantaged due to the effect of the pandemic. A lot of people have lost their jobs. Some of these women were struggling to feed and now with the astronomical increase in the cost of food, most women just live in abject poverty as they cannot afford to pay for their children’s school fees, and all they make is just to feed their family. Living from hand to mouth. The mouth keeps getting wide and the fingers keep getting unequal.

At this point in time, we need drastic measures to ensure more women are brought out of poverty. Such suggestions include:

1. Low-interest rates and quick access to loans.

2. More locally accredited support grants from transparent, credible, and accessible organizations.

3. Tax rebate for 1 year to help women bounce back from the effect of the pandemic

4. More practical entrepreneurial training for women in the community. More grassroots-based entrepreneurial training programs.

5. Organize Skills acquisition and provide standard start-up kits both in grants and materials.

6. Redesign Business studies as a subject in secondary schools. Make it more practical. Ensure that beyond the classroom training, there should be practical classes and it should be made mandatory to all secondary school students.

6. Ensure that all graduating students of secondary schools have a business project, design business plans, learn how to pitch and start a simple business before they graduate.

We are in trying times and as Africans, we need to create more jobs and also ensure that people are trained to function excellently in the workplace. We need more capital to grow our capital. We are the ones that can change the stereotype of our continent. Support that small business.

This Money, we go make am

This continent, na we go build am.

This life, we go rock am.

Covid-19, as e come, e go go.

Naija… E go better..