WTO and ITC’s WEIDE Fund Selects First Nigerian Women Entrepreneurs for Support

At the Abuja event, WTO Director-General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala underscored the transformative potential of empowering women entrepreneurs:

 

The Women Exporters in the Digital Economy (WEIDE) Fund, jointly launched by the World Trade Organization (WTO) Secretariat and the International Trade Centre (ITC) in 2024, has announced its first cohort of women-led micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) to benefit from targeted support. The announcement was made on 14 August 2025 in Abuja, Nigeria.

From an overwhelming 67,000 applications, 146 women-led businesses in Nigeria were selected to receive financial, technical, and capacity-building assistance aimed at boosting their digital readiness, export capabilities, and integration into global value chains. The next rounds of selected beneficiaries will soon be revealed in the Dominican Republic and Mongolia, while Jordan is preparing to launch its own national call for applications.

Empowering Women Through Digital Trade

At the Abuja event, WTO Director-General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala underscored the transformative potential of empowering women entrepreneurs: “The goal of the Fund is simple, but ambitious: to give women the tools, the knowledge, the networks, and the resources they need to access global value chains, so their businesses are not just surviving, but thriving, on the world stage.”

She emphasized the significant economic gains of women’s participation in trade: “At the WTO, we found that women who trade internationally earn, on average, 2.8 times more than women who only sell locally. That’s a game-changer. And when you add the power of digital trade, the opportunities multiply even further.”

Tackling Barriers for Women Entrepreneurs

Pamela Coke-Hamilton, Executive Director of the ITC, highlighted the structural barriers women face: “Running a business is never easy, and women face even greater barriers than men — from limited access to finance to restricted access to skills training. When it comes to exporting, the road for women-led businesses is even harder. The digital economy can help, but it can also hurt if we don’t create inclusive pathways. That’s why WEIDE is here — to ensure women-led MSMEs are not left behind.”

The WEIDE programme in each country begins with a two-day event combining a high-level launch ceremony with in-person technical training, followed by a 12-month cycle of mentorship, digital upskilling, and access to trade facilitation networks.

A $50 Million Fund with Global Reach

The US$ 50 million WEIDE Fund is backed by international partners, including the United Arab Emirates, the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 Legacy Fund, and Bahrain. It provides women-led MSMEs with:

• Access to finance through innovative funding solutions.

• Digital skills training to help them succeed in the global digital economy.

• International market connections through trade promotion initiatives.

• Mentorship and support networks to build confidence and competitiveness.

The Fund directly supports the global agenda for inclusive trade, aligning with the WTO’s mission to strengthen women’s role in international commerce and the ITC’s mandate to support small businesses in developing countries.

Local and Regional Implementation

Four business support organizations are partnering with WEIDE to implement programmes across beneficiary countries:

• Nigerian Export Promotion Council (NEPC) in Nigeria.

• ProDominicana in the Dominican Republic.

• Jordan Enterprise Development Corporation (JEDCO) in Jordan.

• Mongolian National Chamber of Commerce and Industry (MNCCI) in Mongolia.

These institutions will help tailor support to national contexts while ensuring participating businesses gain access to global trade opportunities.

A Global Movement for Inclusive Trade

The WEIDE Fund is seen as more than just a financial programme; it is a global movement for gender-inclusive economic growth. By focusing on the digital economy, the initiative aims to close gender gaps in e-commerce and digital trade, empowering women entrepreneurs to become exporters in a rapidly evolving global marketplace.

As the Nigerian cohort embarks on its 12-month journey, the global rollout of WEIDE signals a new model of development cooperation—one that puts women entrepreneurs at the center of global trade, harnessing technology and finance to create opportunities where barriers once existed.