The seventh cohort of the Women in Tech Incubator and Accelerator Programme, organised by Pan-Atlantic University's Enterprise Development Centre, has graduated 11 women tech founders. The programme, which supports women-owned technology and tech-enabled businesses, has backed 60 women since its launch in 2019. The organisers stated that the beneficiaries have created a wider impact across sectors, including education, healthcare, fashion, wellness, and supply chain management.
The programme provides specialised advisory services, capacity building, mentoring, and coaching to help founders strengthen their businesses. According to Dr Nneka Okekearu, Director of the Enterprise Development Centre, the programme has evolved to respond to changes in the economy and technology sector. The latest cohort received additional support to help them refine their business models and establish boards.
The programme focuses on strengthening participating businesses' governance and financial structures. Okekearu stated that the programme sets up a board for each business to help them refine their model, making them attractive to funding. The initiative targets businesses that are at least 51 per cent women-owned, technology-enabled, and beyond the ideation stage.
The businesses in the latest cohort are developing solutions to problems they encountered personally or observed in their communities. Okekearu mentioned that one graduate is building a platform for children with learning disabilities, while another created a platform after watching her mother struggle to access funding. The programme also provides seed grants and access to single-digit loan pools through its network.
Joke Adu, Head of Corporate Affairs, Brand and Marketing at Standard Chartered Nigeria, stated that the bank remains committed to expanding economic opportunities for women through entrepreneurship. The programme combines training and business advisory support, with selected participants receiving seed funding to scale their businesses. Adu noted that the programme has supported 60 women, impacting thousands.
Oreoluwa Leshi, Founder and Executive Director of Women's Technology Empowerment Centre, emphasised the importance of increasing women's participation in technology for Nigeria's development. Leshi stated that women account for only about 20 per cent of Nigeria's technology workforce and stressed the need for more programmes that provide women-led businesses with access to mentorship, funding, and business support.
One of the graduates, Fara Popoola, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Check It Limited, stated that the programme helped her narrow her business focus and better define her target market. Popoola's company, Check It Limited, operates Proctor 360, a platform designed to help wholesalers protect trade during import and export. The grant she received will enable the company to deploy field agents and expand its reach among businesses in the informal sector.
Key points
- The programme has supported 60 women-owned technology and tech-enabled businesses since its launch in 2019.
- The programme provides specialised advisory services, capacity building, mentoring, and coaching to help founders strengthen their businesses.
- The businesses supported by the programme are providing solutions across different sectors, including education, healthcare, fashion, wellness, and supply chain management.
