Prime Highlights
- The Nigerian Export Promotion Council (NEPC) assured beneficiaries that the first tranche of the $50 million WEIDE Fund grants will be released in Q1 2026.
- The fund aims to empower women-led businesses through training, mentorship, and access to global markets in the digital economy.
Key Facts
- The WEIDE Fund has selected 146 Nigerian women entrepreneurs for the first phase, providing training in financial literacy, leadership, digital tools, and soft skills.
- The initiative is supported by the WTO and ITC, combining capacity building with financial support to help women exporters scale to global trade.
Background
The Nigerian Export Promotion Council (NEPC) has assured beneficiaries of the $50 million Women Exporters in the Digital Economy (WEIDE) Fund that the first tranche of grants will be released in the first quarter of 2026, once ongoing capacity-building and compliance processes are completed.
The assurance was given during a town hall meeting held in Abuja for WEIDE Fund beneficiaries. The meeting reviewed progress made since the launch of the initiative in August 2025 and allowed beneficiaries and programme managers to discuss next steps.
The WEIDE Fund is a global initiative supported by the World Trade Organisation (WTO) and the International Trade Centre (ITC). It helps women-led businesses in developing countries by offering training, funding, mentorship and access to global markets through digital trade. In Nigeria, the programme has already selected 146 women entrepreneurs to benefit from the first phase.
Speaking at the event, NEPC Chief Executive Officer Mrs Nonye Ayeni urged beneficiaries to fully utilise the opportunities offered by the programme. She said the town hall was organised to assess achievements so far, identify gaps, and improve support for participants.
Mrs Ayeni highlighted the extensive training already provided to the selected entrepreneurs. She said expert coaches were engaged immediately after the programme’s launch by the Director General of the WTO, Mrs Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala.
According to her, beneficiaries have received training in financial literacy, bookkeeping, leadership, succession planning, soft skills, and digital tools. These skills are aimed at helping women-led businesses grow beyond local markets and compete globally.
NEPC said the WEIDE Fund is designed to help women exporters move from small-scale operations to global trade by combining capacity building with financial support. The council added that continued engagement and compliance will ensure smooth disbursement of grants as scheduled in 2026.
