WOMEN ENTREPRENEURS SUMMIT

According to the National Population Census of 2006, Rivers State has an estimated population of 5,198,716 (2,673,026 males; 2,525,690 females)

According to the National Population Census of 2006, Rivers State has an estimated population of 5,198,716 (2,673,026 males; 2,525,690 females).  According to a 2021 report, a survey reveals that while most businesses are operated by men (57% of respondents), women make up as high as 43% of entrepreneurs in Rivers state.

The relative gender gap in entrepreneurship, measured as the ratio of female to male entrepreneurs, is therefore placed at 0.75. While this is a seemingly close gap, the odds are in favour of male entrepreneurs due to barriers stemming from social, cultural and religious dogmas in the very patriarchal business scenery of Rivers state. These odds, and many more factors is why W.E SUMMIT exists.

About W.E SUMMIT

W.E Summit exists as an advocacy, movement, community and platform of women, by women and for women to create equity in the business climate of Rivers state. W.E Summit intends to, through the government and the private sector, build a thriving business atmosphere for women-led businesses in Rivers state. W.E Summit intends to tackle the many challenges of female entrepreneurs in Rivers state, such as:

1, LIMITED ACCESS TO FINANCE

“When you empower a woman, you empower an economy and indeed a nation” – Cherie Blair. We believe that when you empower a woman financially, you create a funnel for other women to earn directly or indirectly. because a wise woman knows better to empower another.

W.E.S intends to partner with the government, private sector and individuals to empower women-led businesses in Rivers state with the necessary skills and resources to thrive. This process will occur through a forum where:

(i) Female entrepreneurs in Rivers state who are looking for angel investors will qualify through a competition to pitch their businesses to a panel and winners will emerge as the “W.E.S Women to Watch” with a cash prizes to set up or expand their business.

(ii) A skills acquisition program where interested and qualified women in Rivers state will be trained with the technical know-how in various skills from tech, business, fashion, media, film etc. and be rewarded with materials and tools to launch or thrive their businesses.

This will be done through a process of:

(a) Call for entries
(b) Registration
(c) Shortlisting
(d) Training / workshop
(e) Reward

2. INSUFFICIENT ACCESS TO NETWORKING OPPORTUNITIES

The W.E Summit exists also as a networking platform that will create what will be known as the ‘biggest gathering of female entrepreneurs in Rivers state’ The summit will gather top business leaders as well as small and medium scale business owners.

The keynote, panel session and lectures will be given by select global female business leaders across the nation and beyond. W.E Summit will serve as a pool of talents where every female entrepreneur in Rivers state will look towards when seeking business partnerships and collaborations, as well as support and guidance.

3. BALANCING BUSINESS AND FAMILY RESPONSIBILITIES

Through the live lectures and panels, W.E Summit intends to address certain areas of shortfall that women in business seem to face, such as balancing business and family responsibilities. A dedicated lecture will be given by women who have proven to be successful in-spite of family expectations.

Materials and resources will also be made available at the summit for interested participants to explore.

4. LIMITED ACCESS TO CUSTOMERS AND MARKETS.

With the affiliate events such as: Fashion festival and the #BuyRivers Exhibition, participants of WE Summit can take advantage of our estimated 15,000 visitors and vendor marketplace to gain access to customers as a vendor and access to markets as a customer or marketter.

These events will prioritise women-led businesses as an overall ploy to give rivers state women and women-led businesses a better chance at sales.

5. SOCIAL AND CULTURAL BARRIERS.

W.E Summit, through her campaigns and lecture, serves as an advocacy for the inclusion of women in the helm of business affairs beyond social and cultural resistance. As a community and empowerment platform, W.E Summit intends to inspire a culture of togetherness, and resilience amongst Rivers state women entrepreneurs, fostering socio-cultural bonds and fellowships while educating the general public of what is expected of them in todays world.

W.E Summit is on a mission to establish Rivers state as a gender-sensitive and inclusive space for women entrepreneurs to launch, relaunch, grow and thrive.

Projections:

Women Entrepreneurs Summit 2024 is estimated to gather a cumulative attendance of about 15,000 participants across her various programs and forecasted to internally generate an estimated $1,200,000 in trade and commerce for Rivers state’s GDP.

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