The Global Entrepreneurship Network (GEN) Nigeria and Providus Bank have underscored the need for women entrepreneurs to prioritise vision, values and long-term impact when building their businesses. This message took centre stage at the recent Women Enterprise Day, held as part of Global Entrepreneurship Week (GEW) 2025 in Nigeria.
The event brought together women founders, industry leaders and innovators to celebrate the growing influence of women-owned enterprises and to encourage a shift away from short-term gains toward building sustainable ventures capable of lasting impact.
Guest speaker and co-founder of SoFresh, Mrs. Abimbola Balogun, speaking on the theme “Women Who Lead, Ventures That Thrive”, urged women business owners to embrace long-term thinking if they hope to compete favourably in the marketplace.
She said women must look beyond immediate profits and build businesses anchored in purpose and foresight. Recognising the strides already made by women across sectors, she stressed, “Women can do it. They are already doing it, and they can do it. So, let’s build and lead.”
She added that clarity of purpose remains essential. “I have always advised on what the woman who leads ventures that thrive want to become, what they need to do, and what they need to have. All they need to have is clarity of vision and purpose, which is very important.”
According to her, sustaining long-term success also rests on building strong internal structures. “To achieve this, women need to build a high-performance team, and for them to protect their health, their finances, wellbeing, and balance compassion with accountability, they need to build a system and structure that is sustainable.”
Dr Nnenna Ugwu, Head of Alumni Relations at the Enterprise Development Centre (EDC) of Pan-Atlantic University, echoed this sentiment, urging women to believe in their abilities despite setbacks. “As a woman, believe in yourself, believe that you can do it, and conquer that fear. It does not matter how many times we fail; what matters is that we succeed.”
She reaffirmed EDC’s commitment to helping women thrive: “We want to continuously build women’s capabilities, and to create an enabling environment for them to thrive. We want to encourage women to support each other… Women are collaborating to win.”
From the financial sector, Damilola Feyide, Lead, SME Development & Strategy at Providus Bank, described the day as an opportunity for knowledge exchange and business growth. “It’s really just a knowledge-sharing platform… and also an opportunity to receive funds to grow your business,” she said.
Encouraging women to seize emerging opportunities, she added, “This is the time to be audacious… to really step out and collaborate and then grow our businesses so that this nation can keep prospering.”
Founder of Tri-Point Academy, Shuhda Mohammed, noted the importance of spotlighting women-led enterprises, particularly in northern Nigeria. “Tri-Point Academy is one of the major supporters of women in northern Nigeria, especially the enterprising women. We had to be a part of this… Women should be celebrated more; we are doing a lot.”
The Women Enterprise Day remains a key highlight of GEW, providing a platform to recognise women’s contributions to Nigeria’s entrepreneurship ecosystem and inspire a new wave of resilient, purpose-driven female founders.
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