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NECA’s Network of Entrepreneurial Women (NNEW)

Women Voice and Leadership Project

5-Year of Intervention

THE WOMEN’S VOICE AND LEADERSHIP (WVL)–NIGERIA PROJECT

As part of effort to empower women to embrace entrepreneurship and achieve total well-being while impacting others, NNEW with the support of Action Aid Nigeria and fund from Global affairs Canada under the WVL-Nigeria Project implemented 5-Year project The project focused on bbuilding the financial capacity of market women through education on basic financial record keeping, thus preparing them for funding opportunities. In the course of the program, the market women also enlightened on the taxation policies of the Lagos Internal Revenue Services (LIRS).

The initiative, implemented over a period of five years, focused on Women Economic Justice and Empowerment Programmes where NNEW provided essential financial training and fostering sustainable development also created an environment where female petty traders in Lagos state can thrive and access grant and loan facilities. The project concentrated on the selected market in Kosofe Local Government Area, Shomolu Local Area and Yaba Local Government Area. The leadership of all the markets in Lagos State were involved to ensure that policies related to SGBV in the market places are addressed also Lagos State Internal Revenue for tax related issue. The project paid high level advocacy visits to the chairmen of Local Government Areas in Lagos State and selected traditional rulers in a bid to have their support.  

Our Intervention Objectives

NNEW Project team together with the Lead Trainers had a preliminary meeting with the market leaders predominantly men for their permission to engage the petty traders in markets.

NNEW conducted a meeting with the Lead trainers where they were briefed on the concept of and deliverables of NNEW.

NNEW developed training materials for different modules. The material were developed with samples of various templates of book that could enable petty traders take basic records.

The training on Basic Financial Record Keeping and Lagos State Tax Policies was designed to inculcate financial record keeping in participants, thus preparing them for funding opportunities. The session also sensitised them on the importance of paying tax and gave them access to information that will enable them to pay appropriate tax without being exploited.

Distribution of Palliative Items to Female Petty Traders

The distribution of palliative items for the petty traders in Ojodu Abiodun LCDA of Lagos State was informed by the result of the lockdown witnessed in Lagos State between 30th of March and 4th of June 2020. This resulted in many of these traders who are the breadwinners of their families eats up their capital.

The life was very difficult after the lockdown as most of them had nothing to trade with.

With the intervention of Action Aid Nigeria and support from Global Affairs Canada, NECA’s Network of Entrepreneurial Women (NNEW) was able to distribute food items such as noodles, spaghettis, rice, beans and gari (cassava flakes) with other items like sanitary pads, nose mask and hands sanitizer.

The Network also educated the beneficiaries on the need to stay safe and how to stay safe during this period. They were cautioned and advised to go to hospital whenever they notice any of the COVID-19 symptoms.

NNEEW also carried out the same exercise at Okota in Okota Local Government Area of Lagos and Iju in Iju Local Government of Lagos State.

States’ Taxation Laws/ Policies and Their Effects on Female Petty Traders

NNEW through its engagement with market women found out that they had many challenges ranging from limited access to financial support to grow their business to stifling business environment.

One major challenge facing the women is how to deal with taxation, and the multiple tax burden. Hence, NNEW received the support of Action Aid to carry out a situational analysis of state taxation laws/policies and their effect on Female petty traders in Lagos, Enugu, Rivers states and Federal Capital Territories. The study is expected to provide information on the knowledge and perception of taxes paid in the market by these traders.

The main objective was to find out what petty traders are paying in target states to enable NNEW advocate for a friendly taxation/law policies for petty trader traders in the States.

Social Media to Maintain Sales & Session in SGBV in the Market Place

It was observed that most petty traders found it difficult to communicate with their customers during the COVID-19-engendered lockdown. The lack of communication resulted in low or no sales, therefore forcing the petty traders to exhaust their meagre capital to feed their families. NNEW organised a training on how to maintain sales through social media platforms for petty traders. This enables them to display their products online as well as make sales. We discovered that the phones used by some of the women in the market do not have the capacity for digital marketing. To ensure that the participants make use of the knowledge acquired, the team contacted some members of NNEW to support the project with some phones in addition to the ones provided by AAN.

Basic Costing Financial Planning

The Training on Basic Costing Financial Planning for Market Women at Mile 12 International Market, Lagos on Friday, 27th of January 2023 was one of the capacity buildings for the petty traders in Lagos State. It followed the training on Basic Record keeping where the petty traders in the market were exposed to the principles of recordkeeping. The training ensures that all expenses are covered and the petty traders fix price that ensures a profit also allows them to achieve their financial goals. This event was made possible through the funding support received from ActionAid Nigeria and Global Affairs Canada.

The Training on Basic Costing, Financial Planning, and Cashless Policy for Petty Women Traders held on Thursday, 9th, March 2023 at Tejuosho International Market in Lagos was one of the capacity building events for petty traders in Lagos State.  The Cashless Policy was added to enlighten the petty traders in attendance, as most of the women in the informal sector are yet to come to terms with the fact that the policy has come to stay in Nigeria.  The training came after the basic recordkeeping training, in which the market’s petty traders were introduced to the principles of recordkeeping. The training however ensures that all expenses are covered, and the petty traders set prices that ensure a profit, allowing them to achieve their goals. The women in attendance were also informed of the various ways payment could be made.

STAKEHOLDERS DIALOGUE ON MARKET DEMOLITION IN LAGOS STATE

NNEW through funding support received from ActionAid Nigeria and Global Affairs Canada sensitised over 600 market leaders across the 20 Local Government Areas and 37 LCDAs in Lagos State on ‘’the ills and consequences of sexual harassment in the markets’’ as part of our efforts to end sexual harassments of girls and women.

THE KEY ACHIEVEMENT ON WVL-NIGERIA PROJECT

  1. Equipped over 400 female petty traders with the necessary knowledge needed (Basic Bookkeeping, Customer Service and Stock Control) to access grants. This has led to forty-nine female petty traders accessing grants from the Federal Government.
  2. Reduction in the rate of SGBV cases in the market places through the introduction of Task Force in the markets.
  3. Reduction in levies and taxes paid by market women in Lagos State.
  4. Enrollment of fifty selected female petty traders from three markets in the National Health Insurance Scheme.
  5. Sensitization of over six hundred market leaders in Lagos State on ‘’the ills and consequences of sexual harassment in the markets’’ also VAPP Laws as it concerns SGBV. This led to the formation of the Market Taskforce Team on SGBV.
  6. Reduce the suffering of 236 petty traders in Ojodu, Iju and Okota Local Government Area who had exhausted their capital feeding their families during the lockdown and could no longer feed well. This was done through the distribution of palliative items.
  7. Fifty two female petty traders were trained on the use of simple technology and social media to maintain sales, aimed at ensuring that petty traders are able to safely continue their trades regardless of lockdown and without sexual harassment. The fifty female petty traders were also given Android phones to ease communication with their customers.
  8. NNEW was instrumental in the inclusion of the Minister of Women Affairs on the Presidential Taskforce for COVID-19.
  9. Inclusion of the informal sector in the reviewed Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME) National Policies. This will ensure that microbusinesses, like petty traders, are included in various government plans.
  10. Enrolled 38 female petty traders in a free health insurance scheme.
  11. Working with stakeholders to ensure that the Government makes provision for the victims of the demolished markets in Lagos State.
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