180 Female Entrepreneurs Get Top-Level Training on Financial Literacy, Digital Marketing and Bookkeeping to Grow Businesses Beyond Survival
The Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), in a crucial partnership with the Society of Women Accountants of Nigeria (SWAN), Port Harcourt Chapter, has launched a major training programme to empower female entrepreneurs across the Niger Delta region. A total of 180 women were trained on essential business skills, including modern financial documentation, bookkeeping (using tools like Excel and QuickBooks), tax awareness, and how to use social media for marketing. This initiative is aimed at helping local women business owners overcome the challenges of poor record-keeping and lack of digital skills, ensuring their small and micro-businesses can not just survive, but truly grow and become sustainable job creators. The NDDC says this is part of a plan to strengthen the region’s economy from the grassroots.
NDDC Boosts Women’s Business Skills to Tackle Poverty in the Region
The Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) has taken a significant step towards economic empowerment in the region by concluding a specialised training for 180 female entrepreneurs. The programme, which was designed in collaboration with the Society of Women Accountants of Nigeria (SWAN), Port Harcourt Chapter, is a direct response to the long-standing challenge of business failures among women in the Niger Delta.
The training, which held at the NDDC Event Centre in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, focused heavily on giving the participants practical, modern tools for financial success.
The Key Skills That Will Change Businesses
According to the NDDC’s Managing Director, Dr. Samuel Ogbuku, the goal is to shift local enterprises from relying on basic, informal methods to adopting organised, professional standards. The training curriculum was structured around four core areas:
- Financial Literacy and Documentation: Teaching participants how to separate personal income from business funds and the critical importance of keeping accurate financial records.
- Modern Bookkeeping: Practical training on using applications such as Microsoft Excel and QuickBooks to manage their accounts effectively.
- Tax Awareness: Educating the entrepreneurs on their responsibilities and benefits concerning the new national tax regime, including the importance of a Tax Identification Number (TIN).
- Digital and Social Media Marketing: Equipping the women with the skills to use online platforms to expand their market reach far beyond their immediate locality.
Entrepreneurs Speak: A ‘Game Changer’
Participants were full of praise for the Commission, describing the training as a ‘game-changer’ for their businesses. Mrs. Catherine Tyrie and Mrs. Eddie Alakiri, two of the beneficiaries, expressed their sincere gratitude to the NDDC for providing an opportunity that addresses a massive need for proper financial management skills.
“We are grateful to the NDDC for creating such an opportunity for all women in the Niger Delta, especially the entrepreneurs,” said one participant. “This will help us to envisage further on how to develop and improve our businesses.”
Commitment to Follow-Up
The NDDC confirmed that this initial batch of 180 entrepreneurs is only the beginning. The Commission plans to extend the training to all other states in the Niger Delta region. Furthermore, the NDDC has created a feedback platform to monitor the businesses and measure the actual impact of the training on the long-term sustainability and profitability of these small enterprises.
The Commission’s continuous focus on capacity building and its commitment to the development of the Niger Delta Chamber of Commerce are key steps in supporting Nano, Micro, and Small Scale businesses, thereby ensuring economic growth is driven by local, empowered citizens.
