GEN, Providus task women enterprises on values, vision

The Global Entrepreneurship Network Nigeria has urged women-led enterprises to prioritise vision, values and long-term impact as the foundation for sustainable growth.

GEN Nigeria made the call during its Women Enterprise Day held under the theme ‘Women Who Lead, Ventures That Thrive’ as part of the Global Entrepreneurship Week 2025 activities. The event, organised in partnership with Providus Bank, brought together women entrepreneurs to celebrate innovation and leadership across sectors.

Co-founder of SoFresh and guest speaker, Abimbola Balogun, said that women must look beyond immediate profits to build businesses that endure. “Women can do it,” she said. “They are already doing it, and they can do it. So, let’s build and lead.”

Balogun stressed the need for clarity and purpose, noting that “all that the (women-led businesses) need to have is clarity of vision and purpose, which is very important.” She added that women must put systems and structures in place to protect their health, finances and wellbeing while building high-performance teams.

Also speaking, the Head of Alumni Relations at the Enterprise Development Centre of Pan-Atlantic University, Dr Nnenna Ugwu, charged women to conquer fear and believe in their capabilities. She said, “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.”

Dr Ugwu added that the EDC remained committed to helping women thrive. “We want to continuously build women’s capabilities and create an enabling environment for them to thrive. Women are collaborating to win,” she said.

Lead, SME Development & Strategy at Providus Bank, Damilola Feyide, said the platform exposed women to insights on scaling and funding opportunities. Feyide said, “This is the time to be audacious. There are so many things available… this is the time for us 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, said the academy supported enterprising women in northern Nigeria and joined the event to amplify women’s impact. “Women should be celebrated more; we are doing a lot. There’s so much going on in our lives besides the work we do,” Mohammed noted.

GEN Nigeria concluded that through the event, it has reinforced its mission to elevate women entrepreneurs and strengthen the ecosystem that enables them to thrive.