By Chioma Obinagwam
Access bank Plc has said it has partnered with SME.NG and other leading institutions, including the Bank of Industry (BOI), LAPO Microfinance Bank, Chapel Hill Denham, and the Impact Investment Foundation Nigeria are launching the Ebi Marketplace – a Nigerian innovation for female entrepreneurs.
The bank informed Confiance News in a statement on Tuesday.
The Ebi Marketplace, it said, consists of an access to capital market, an e-commerce mall and a knowledge market for female entrepreneurs in Nigeria seeking to digitize their businesses.
Conceptualised and developed by SME.NG as a tangible solution to the impact of COVID-19 on female entrepreneurs, the Ebi Marketplace aims to close the gender digital divide in Nigeria by supporting women’s digital literacy and financial inclusion, while providing access to capital and markets.
Thelma Ekiyor, the brain behind the Ebi Marketplace stated that SME.NG is committed to investing in facilitating female entrepreneurs’ profitability, so that they are positioned for infusion of capital.
According to her, this innovation is supported by Nigerian investors for the Nigerian market.
“We at SME.NG see ourselves as an indigenous solutions provider in Nigeria’s SME ecosystem. Women in Nigeria establish businesses more than men but struggle to grow beyond a certain point. We believe we have a strategic role to play in breaking that financial and growth ceiling,” she noted.
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