The Nigerian Women Business Network has urged governments at all levels to make policies and laws that would promote women-owned businesses.

The body, a coalition of over 70 business-oriented women associations made the call on Wednesday in Abakaliki during a one-day ‘Core aAdvocacy brief development’ workshop.

The Secretary of network, Ebonyi State chapter, Dr Loveth Ehihia, who spoke on behalf of the participants said that the body was committed to ensuring that women owned-businesses did not suffer undue marginalisation.

She said that the different associations came together to protect and promote their business interests by fashioning ways of influencing government decisions and policies.

She said that women owned businesses in Ebonyi State were suffering due to lack of funds, ignorance, limited access to information, obnoxious cultural limitations and early marriage among others.

She further identified poor access to laws and policies on women business development, multiple taxations and revenue generation levies from diverse authorised and un-authorised bodies as factors stifling women owned businesses in the state.

Ms Ehihia said, “We condemn in totality methods of revenue collection which involve harsh and excessive use of force, exploitation, destruction of goods, unprocedural seizures, non – assessment of business and arbitrary charges by revenue collection agencies. We want a conducive environment where women businesses can thrive as well as equal playing ground for Ebonyi children in business. We want the Ebonyi where more women can venture into businesses because the environment is safe for them to do so,” She said that the workshop has improved and expanded the scope of knowledge of the women to engage stakeholders with a view to addressing issues and challenges affecting development of women owned enterprises.

She said, “In this training, our eyes have been opened to the difference between advocacy visit and advocacy engagement. Advocacy engagement is the one that is actually more rewarding where you are afforded the opportunity to pinpoint relevant stakeholders depending on the issues you are advocating.”

She commended the organisers for the training promising that the association would leverage the knowledge acquired to enhance business growth and improve their chances to access more business opportunities.

Earlier, the resource person and consultant to NIWA, Bassey Chinedu, said that the training was geared towards improving the capacity of members of ANWBN in Ebonyi State.

He explained that the training was a process aimed at increasing the capacity of the association in understanding advocacy, and what they should do or could do in bettering the lot of their network members doing businesses in the state.

“Today’s training is an offshoot of the first meeting we had which was to organise the network itself in the state and to develop a document that they can use to engage. So, today, we are practicalising that and they are doing that by themselves after giving them a basic foundation and structure of what they need to work with,” he said.

Also, NIWA’s Executive Director, Nancy  Ifenyinwa, said that the aim of the training was to ensure the existence of a strong women business network which would protect their businesses and protect their members.

Ms Ifenyinwa stated, “ANWBN is an umbrella network for women in business with over 70 organisations and they have a numerical strength of over four million individual members across Nigeria. The question is what do they do as a network; what opportunities do they have, can they contribute to governance in their different states and localities both at national, subnational and maybe at the local government areas where they stay? What protections do they have for member organisations and individuals who do businesses when it comes to their businesses, taxes and monies paid to governments?  Do they have a clear understanding of it, are they robbed off of their money or do they keep paying revenues without understanding what it is and how can they leverage government platforms and opportunities to grow their businesses.’’

(NAN)