Women entrepreneurs lament poor access to funds

Some women entrepreneurs have identified poor funding as the major problem militating against the growth of their business.

They told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in separate interviews in Lagos on Wednesday that they needed more funds to enable them meet the demand for their goods and services.

It would be recalled that Lola Okanlawon, president, Network of Entrepreneurial Women, recently said that the N100 billion intervention fund earmarked for women by the Central Bank of Nigeria had not been disbursed.

She urged the president to address the delay in the disbursement of the loans at low interest rates.

“Women are already making waves in the business world and we need to keep in mind that when you empower a woman, you empower a nation”, Okanlawon said.

Bunmi Aremo, manufacturer of Palinia Cookies, said that she had been unable to meet her customers’ demand for her pastries in the last quarter.

“There is still much work to be done by our government on making funds available to women entrepreneurs.

“In the last few months, there has been high demand for our goods, but we have been unable to meet up with the demand.