IWD 2026: FG rolls out financing, procurement reforms to boost women-owned businesses

The Federal Government has outlined policies and financial market reforms aimed at tackling the persistent barriers facing women-owned businesses, particularly limited access to credit, markets, and long-term capital.

Speaking at the grand finale of the “Give to Gain” Summit in Abuja to mark the 2026 International Women’s Month, Monday, the Minister of Women Affairs and Social Development, Hajiya Imaan Sulaiman-Ibrahim, said the government is shifting from advocacy to targeted interventions designed to unlock the economic potential of women.

The minister disclosed that over 80 per cent of women-owned businesses in Nigeria currently lack access to formal credit, largely confining them to the informal sector and limiting their growth.

To address this, she noted the rollout of the Renewed Hope Social Impact Interventions (RH-SII 774), a nationwide programme structured to deliver grants, microcredit, and enterprise financing to women across all 774 local government areas.

According to her, the initiative goes beyond funding to include skills acquisition, vocational training, agricultural value-chain sup- port, clean energy solutions, and structured mentorship, all aimed at helping women scale their businesses sustainably.

She added that the intervention is backed by the Women’s Economic Empowerment (WEE) Policy (2023), which provides a frame- work for measurable and scalable outcomes in women-focused economic programmes

In a major policy shift, the minister also announced the approval of an Affirmative Procurement Policy that guarantees women-owned businesses improved access to government contracts, opening up public procurement as a critical growth channel.

She said: “This landmark intervention ensures structured and equitable access for women-owned enterprises to participate in public procurement processes, thereby opening government contracting systems as engines of inclusion and shared prosperity.

“It represents a decisive shift from policy intention to enforceable economic access. In the spirit of our theme, “Give to Gain,” it affirms that when the State deliberately gives women fair opportunity in procurement systems, the nation gains in productivity, competitiveness, and inclusive growth”, the Minister added.

On the financial markets side, the Director-General of the Securities and Exchange Commission, Dr. Emomotimi Agama, represented by Executive Commissioner, Operations, Mr. Bola Ajomale, emphasised the need to move women entrepreneurs from reliance on short-term financing to long-term wealth creation through the capital market.