Address Delivered by The National Treasurer and Oyo State Coordinator, ECOWAS FEBWE Nigeria, Olubunmi Olalekan During a Courtesy Visit to the Secretary to the Oyo State Government, Professor Olanike Adeyemo on September 12, 2023
Good afternoon Your Honour, Secretary to the State Government, Prof (Mrs.) Olanike Kudirat Adeyemo,
- Commissioner for Women Affairs, Community Development, Social Welfare; Honourable (Mrs.) Toyin Balogun
- Director General, Oyo State Investment and Public, Private Partnership Agency, OYSIPA; Barr. Tilewa Folami
- Commissioner for Trade, Investment and Commerce, represented by Mrs. Modupe Adesina
- Other dignitaries here present.
My name is Olubunmi Olalekan, National Treasurer and Oyo State Coordinator, ECOWAS FEBWE Nigeria. Your Honour ma, let me tender an unreserved apology from the National President, Iyalode Alaba Lawson, MFR, who is unavoidably absent as she is on another high powered delegation assignment. Likewise some other National Executives who are on an assignment in preparation for the Intra African Trade Fair 2023 in Egypt. Iyalode would have loved to be here in person, and did everything possible to make this very important familiarization visit, I do tender her unreserved apology ma.
With me on the ECOWAS FEBWE team is:
- Mrs. Mercy Igheghe-Akinwunmi – Secretary, ECOWAS FEBWE Nigeria, Oyo State.
- Ms. Dupe Ojelabi – Lead, Business Development Initiative,
- Mrs. Tomi Olatoye – Lead, Grants and Funding.
- Ms. Rukayat Salami – Lead, Training and Capacity Development.
- Mrs. Olubukola – Lead, Exhibitions and Strategic Planning.
Your Honour ma, these women on the team, myself inclusive have our businesses in Oyo State contributing our quota to the development of the state.
Your Honour ma, having concluded on the formalities and introductions, before proceeding to my short address, let me on behalf of the National President and ECOWAS FEBWE Nigeria, congratulate Your Honour, Prof (Mrs.) Olanike Kudirat Adeyemo on your appointment as the Secretary to Oyo State Government. This, in no doubt, is in recognition of your many great feats, as well as what you stand for which is a zeal for purposefulness and achievement through merit. Once again, on behalf of the organization, congratulations ma.
We do express our appreciation to you ma for scheduling and hosting this meeting. We also do congratulate our Honourable Commissioners on their well-deserved appointments and we are very confident that your tenure serving with our indefatigable Governor, His Excellency, Engr. Seyi Makinde will bring continued progress to Oyo State and her people.
We must thank and appreciate His Excellency, Governor Seyi Makinde, for the different laudable projects and initiatives his administration is implementing for the betterment of the people of Oyo State.
ECOWAS FEBWE, (FEBWE means Federation of Business Women Entrepreneurs) was formally launched in Ghana in 2009, while ECOWAS FEBWE Nigeria was established on February 2012, championed by Iyalode Alaba Lawson. ECOWAS FEBWE, fully supported by the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), is a non-political, non-religious organization with the sole focus of catering for women entrepreneurs in Sub-Saharan Africa (West Africa) by fostering economic growth, poverty reduction through easing cross border trade for women businesses across the West African region, Africa and the global market.
Your Honour ma, “Today, the world has an unprecedented opportunity to break the cycle of long term poverty – help billions of people lead productive and fulfilling lives – by empowering women and girls. Women and girls comprise more than 70% of the world’s 1.4billion poor people. When they are empowered to play active roles in the society, women and girls improve the education, health and earning power of their families and communities.” (www.care.org)
Your Honour, Honourable Commissioners, “when women earn the money, the money is mostly spent on their children. This means their children are more likely to survive infancy, have better healthcare, go to school, attaining higher levels of education, and have better opportunities in the future.” We also dare say at ECOWAS FEBWE that women doing well in business means contributing to the development and progress of their communities and state, impacting positively government economic development drive.
ECOWAS FEBWE Nigeria in its drive to elevate women businesses and ensure they have a fair share in the different trades from the West African region to Africa and the world market is investing heavily in training and capacity building of international standard for her members. This is to broaden the business scope for women entrepreneurs, improve their business operations, standardize their products and explore the foreign market. On the other hand, the organization is facilitating market access opportunities for women entrepreneurs through sponsored trips to trade fairs, exhibitions, and international business networking meetings. One of such strategic meetings was the “West Africa Meets East Africa Trade Mission and Exhibition” which held in Nairobi, Kenya earlier this year fully sponsored by ECOWAS to facilitate trade between women entrepreneurs from West Africa and East Africa.
Your Honour ma, Honourable Commissioners; the next big trade, especially on the African Continent is the Africa Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA). The World Bank reports that, “the AfCFTA agreement will create the largest free trade area in the world measured by the number of countries participating. The pact connects 1.3 billion people across 55 countries with a combined gross domestic product (GDP) valued at US$3.4 trillion. It has the potentials to lift 30 million people out of poverty.”
ECOWAS FEBWE Nigeria is not sleeping over this and working tirelessly to ensure her women are ready to explore the huge market to the benefits of their business, communities and nation at large. Your Honour ma, our state, Oyo State, must take a centre stage in this business largesse. This is what we in Oyo State believe, hence this visit to introduce the Organization to the State Government and to seek ways of collaboration with various agencies in the State, complementing the different efforts of the State Government, to better the lot of our women and improve the socio-economic status of the state.
Your Honour ma, we are deeply grateful for hosting us and we will be presenting our document to you, as well as a copy to other dignitaries present.
Your Honour ma, Honourable Commissioners, Dignitaries. Thank you for your time and for listening. God bless ECOWAS FEBWE, God bless Oyo State, and God bless the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
Olubunmi Olalekan, National Treasurer & Oyo State Coordinator, ECOWAS FEBWE Nigeria