AEA EXPORT FORUM: HoS REAFFIRMS FCTA’S COMMITMENT TO WOMEN ENTREPRENEURS
By: Emmanuel Tortiv.
The Head of the Civil Service of the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA), Mrs. Nancy Sabanti Nathan, has reaffirmed the Administration’s commitment to supporting women entrepreneurs across the Territory.
Mrs. Nathan stated this at the Abuja Enterprise Agency (AEA) Export Forum held on Tuesday, April 21, 2026. The forum, themed “Accelerate Action Towards Implementing Existing Women’s Programmes,” targeted women export entrepreneurs in the FCT.
The Acting Head of Service said the FCT Minister, Barrister Ezenwo Nyesom Wike, and the Minister of State, Dr. Maryam Mahmoud, are fully committed to creating an enabling environment for women-owned businesses to thrive and expand beyond Nigeria’s borders.
According to her, the Administration is actively streamlining administrative processes and reducing barriers that constrain business growth within the FCT.
“We will continue to strengthen partnerships with key institutions such as the Abuja Enterprise Agency and the Nigeria Export Promotion Council to enhance access to export advisory services, support business formation and regulatory compliance, facilitate access to finance and market opportunities, and promote targeted capacity building for women entrepreneurs,” she said.
Mrs. Nathan noted that although women dominate Nigeria’s domestic markets and remain central to the country’s entrepreneurial ecosystem, only a small proportion actively participate in international trade.
She attributed this gap to systemic challenges, including limited export knowledge, regulatory bottlenecks, financing constraints, and weak market linkages.
She urged participants to leverage opportunities provided by the forum to scale up their export operations and commended the AEA for its sustained role in MSME development and women’s economic empowerment.
Also speaking, the Secretary for Women Affairs, FCT, Dr. Adedayo Benjamins-Laniyi, emphasized the importance of collaboration among women, stressing that collective action is critical to achieving both national and global economic objectives.
She described the forum’s theme as a call not just to action, but to deliberate and strategic engagement driven by women’s capacities and competencies.
Dr. Benjamins-Laniyi cautioned that women-led businesses must scale to remain impactful, noting that failure to grow limits broader economic and social value creation.
She further highlighted that increased participation of women in economic activities could significantly contribute to the projected $28 trillion global GDP potential, adding that such transformation begins with initiatives like the AEA Export Forum.
The Secretary commended the FCT Minister for establishing the Women Affairs Secretariat—describing it as a landmark achievement in the FCT’s history—and lauded the AEA for positioning women entrepreneurs for global competitiveness.
Earlier in his welcome address, the Acting Managing Director/CEO of AEA, Dr. Chudi Ugwuada-Ezirigwe, described the forum as a strategic initiative aimed at transitioning women entrepreneurs from subsistence and local markets into the dynamic space of international trade.
He emphasized that export readiness requires compliance with international quality standards, adherence to regulatory requirements, effective packaging and branding, adoption of digital platforms, and the development of sustainable market linkages.
Dr. Ugwuada-Ezirigwe commended the FCT Minister for his continued support to the Agency by improving the business environment and reiterated that over 70 percent of AEA’s programmes are targeted at women, underscoring its commitment to inclusive enterprise development.
