To boost women’s businesses in Ebonyi, Association of Nigerian Women Business Network, ANWBN, Ebonyi State chapter
wants the government to give them access to finance because everything revolves around money.
Dr loveth Ehihia, secretary of ANWBN in Ebonyi, stated this on Monday during a write shop training organised for the business women by Neighbourhood Initiative for Woman Advancement, NIWA, with support from the OXFAM and Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre, CISLAG.
NIWA had earlier organised a one-day core advocacy capacity training for the Association in Ebonyi, and the Monday program was a follow-up.
Correspondent reports that NIWA is implementing the project funded by OXFAM through its partner CISLAG, which is also the secretariat of the Tax Justice and Governance Platform, TJ&GP, in Nigeria to strengthen the capacity of ANWBN and TJ&GP to advocate for a tax administration system that would be equitable for women in business in Ebonyi and Lagos state.
Dr. Ehihia noted that the training from NIWA has transformed their knowledge of doing business and carrying out advocacy.
She appealed to the state government to checkmate the activities of revenue collectors in different markets in the state, pointing out that their inhuman treatment on some business women has brought a lot of businesses down.
“The training has been helpful and valuable because earlier before now we didn’t know the difference between advocacy visits and advocacy engagement, but the write shop has opened our eyes to our vision and how to go about it. Follow-up training has also helped us to further streamline the way ANWBN is structured because we were not focused before now.
“To boost women’s business in Ebonyi, we want the government to give us access to finance because everything revolves around money. When women are trained and empowered with capital to start up or scale up their business you see a lot, of things they are doing manually can be upgraded to the use of machine, and ymachineshire more hands into your business, and you become more productive.
“Some people acquire skills but lack the finance to start, some are doing at a low level, but when you have access to finance, you can upgrade.
On payment of market revenues, she said some women are charged above the money they make daily
“If the government can look into the activities of those people that collect market levies, it will be better because their activities are dehumanising. I don’t think what they are doing is what the present government of Ebonyi State asked them to do. I know this government has a human face, but those boys out there are not representing the government well. The government should checkmate the activities of revenue collectors in the market.
“If possible, let there be free revenue for the women because women do much more in the family. Any woman who comes out to do business should be encouraged not to use multiple taxation to scare them away from the business.
Chukwu Josephine, a participant, said the program has made her realise new measures on how to display her farm produce for marketing and make more money.
Nancy Oko-Onya, the CEO of NIWA, in her remarks, said NIWA and the project funder want to see a strong business network for the women to protect their members and protect their businesses in the state.
“We want to see how they can leverage government platforms and opportunities to grow their businesses. These are what we want them to know.
“The group should approach the government, present the organization, find out programmes of the government they can fit into, and they can talk to the government about what it can do to help their businesses grow, like over-taxation and how they are harassed by the revenue collectors.
“Let the government spell out who is responsible for collecting the revenues from businesses in Ebonyi State, especially women-owned businesses so that they can grow. And if the government have programs that can be beneficial to them, let them cue in.
Nancy appealed for government support to enable Ebonyi women to compete globally.
“Government should support them; we want businesswomen from Ebonyi who can compete favourably at the global level.”
Chinedu Bassy, a resource person in the program, urged the women in business to work towards providing opportunities for women-owned businesses in Ebonyi State by educating their members and exposing them to business opportunities beyond Ebonyi.
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