‘Good health vital for entrepreneurs to succeed in business’

Many businesses have hit the rocks because the owners in an attempt to achieve success in record time have neglected their health. According to the women’s business network under the Nigeria Employers Consultative Association (NECA), human health concerns cover a wide spectrum, but recent studies have revealed that quite a number of conditions are more prevalent in women.

“While many health conditions affect both men and women, a number of health issues affect only women and some are more prevalent in women,” says Edobong Akpabio, publicity secretary of this network called the NECA Network of Entrepreneurial Women (NNEW).

According to a statement released by NNEW, unknown to some women, diabetes and menopause may team up for varied effects on their body. It is known as a twin challenge that should be given attention early. For women in business who are enterprising, they shuttle the business environment and home front leaving little or no time for them to put their well-being into consideration. A female entrepreneur’s main focus is profit and more customers, merging this drive with the unfriendly and unstable business environment in the country, she may feel there is no time for medical check-ups.

The statement also reveals that health challenges like cancer have ravaged the lives of women, leading to death. Medical experts have reported that most health situations are brought to them late. “Therefore, NNEW is determined to ensure that its members do not neglect their health, hence it organises this entrepreneurship health event tagged ‘September to Remember’ every year. To address some of these issues, NNEW will on Thursday, September 19, this year, educate, teach and inform aspiring and already active women entrepreneurs in an event tagged “Puberty to Menopause: Health Issues in Women,” says Akpabio. “It is geared at educating women entrepreneurs on early detection, preventive and curative methods of different health issues, especially the silent killers,” she adds.

Akpabio further says more often than not, the multi-tasking tendencies of women which involves taking care of their home, husband, children and business expose them to gender specific health conditions like breast cancer, ovarian cancer, renal issues, heart issues, high blood pressure and others.

The findings by this network show that many women have lost their lives because many of these conditions were not detected on time. Another important question that the network discovered bothers women is preparing for menopause.

The keynote speaker will be Oladapo Ashiru, a professor of medicine. Another speaker is M. O. Mabayoje, who will also be throwing light on kidney diseases, causes and tips for prevention. There will be free health checks, dancing and aerobics, exhibitions and a host of other activities all in a bid to help women entrepreneurs maintain work-life balance.

Nike Okanlawon, president of NNEW, notes that education is the key to resolving the questions and challenges around women’s health.

At the end of the programme, the organisers maintain that participants would have learnt how to be in top shape and achieve great health. The network, as part of its regular activities organised for businesses to grow, is also organising an exhibition second week of October for its members to showcase their businesses at the Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI) Conference and Exhibition Centre, Alausa, Ikeja. “The fair is another milestone initiative of the network to contribute to the advancement of sustainable entrepreneurship in Nigeria,” says Akpabio.

NNEW is a network established in 2005, under the aegis of Nigeria NECA, with a mandate to empower women to embrace entrepreneurship and prosper in their businesses. It creates a platform for female entrepreneurs to focus on issues that are crucial for their businesses to thrive as well as advocate for an enabling environment that will sustain them.

By: OLUYINKA ALAWODE