Growth & Employment in States (GEMS3)

Support Improved Business Environment

WEEWOMEN’S ECONOMIC EMPOWERMENT

SuccessStories

For further information, contact:info@gems3nigeria.com

Nkechi Eke NwankwoLead Gender Adviser

nkechi.nwankwo@gems3nigeria.com

Each of these 100 women then received a loan of 25,000 naira (c. £100) under a co-operative agreement between NASSI and Jaiz Bank.

Hussiana trained another 20 women, who then benefited from the CBN-backed Nigerian Incentive-based Risk Sharing System for Agricultural Lending (NIRSAL) loan. These women have all each received a loan of one million naira (c. £4000) for the expansion of their agriculture-related businesses based on their plans.

Together, the three Kano master trainers and their media counterpart have trained a total of 185 other women on A2F to date, using a variety of strategies and local language (Hausa). Rural women trainees have made profits ranging from 3,000 to 15,000 naira each so far.

For Hussaina Ahmed Umar, the training has enabled her to transform her business. Hussaina was one of the winners of the 2013 YouWIN Challenge for Business Innovation, winning 10 million naira (c. £40,000) grant for a business plan she submitted. Her main business is groundnut oil milling and she submitted an idea to expand into the educational sector by establishing an Adult Literacy School for women with special focus on basic literacy, vocational training (on such areas as soap making, bead making, groundnut oil and pomade) and remedial schooling. Hussiana attributes her success in the YouWIN challenge directly to the A2F training she received.

The YouWIN prize is very special – not just for its size – but also because it has enabled Hussaina to start a new venture in an area she believes is very critical for women's economic empowerment. She notes that it is very difficult for women to succeed in business if they are not literate. Her new business targets Kano women, providing them with literacy and vocational skills – and she has already employed 8 staff members since it started in March 2014.

“The idea for the new venture came during the initial GEMS3 Kano Women's Economic Empowerment G r o u p m e e t i n g o n b u s i n e s s environment and constraints for women in Kano”, she explains. “The i d e a w a s n u r t u r e d t h r o u g h conversations with Aishatu Aminu (another WEE Group member), who encouraged me to apply for YouWIN. Then at the March 2013 training event, the YouWIN facilitator, Snow Ogunjimi, provided me with further insights to strengthen my plan”.

As at April 2014, YouWIN has disbursed 80% of the funds to Hussiana and the last tranche of 20% is expected in two weeks. The school is now up and running with a total of 45 students enrolled (30 in the vocational track; 5 in basic literacy and 10 in computer training). Of the 8 staff employed, five are full time while three are part time. Less than one month since its opening, the school has attracted two key additional sponsorship support: Etisalat (a telecom company) has undertaken to sponsor 15 students at

Financial management spurs development ofwomen’s businesses

the cost of NGN 15K per student per year and the National Directorate of Employment (NDE) is offering to pay the fees for 10 students. Hussiana says all the scholarship beneficiaries will be selected by the Village Head of the area in collaboration with the community to ensure that those most in need get the support.

Reflecting on her success at accessing the needed finance for her business she said, “It is as if GEMS3 was set for me and Kano women. Honestly, I did not know that this is possible!”

Growth & Employment in States (GEMS3)

Support Improved Business Environment

Female Garri Tradersin Ishibori Market

“Dis machine wey we dey use collect market toll, una like am abi una no like am?" It is a hot day in Ishibori Market, Ogoja and a small group of people are centred around a vivacious lady in yellow asking questions. Hon Rita A g b o A y i m , t h e f i r s t f e m a l e Chairperson of Ogoja LG is having a chat with a tomato seller about the new revenue collection system. Two weeks earlier Ogoja LG launched a harmonised tax law and an automated collection system using POS machines within the markets and direct bank lodgement system for the larger rates. All of this was agreed by the market traders/other enterprises and the LG Council via a series of PPDs [public-private dialogues], facilitated by GEMS3 [Growth & Employment in States – Supporting Improvements in Business Environment] program which is a partnership between the Federal Government of Nigeria (FGN) and the UK Department for International Development (DFID).

After the official launch Hon Rita is witnessing these changes first hand in the markets and business premises. She strides purposefully and is comfortable in the markets she has

known as a child. She is particularly interested in the impact on small scale women traders, who make up the majority in these markets. Her female Special Assistant on Revenue weaves her way expertly through the market as we move from group to group and a song suddenly bursts out from a group of garri sellers. We stop walking and an interesting conversation ensues. Apparently these women were now saving substantial amounts of money since Ogoja LG passed its new harmonised tax law and starting using POS machines used for revenue collection. Instead of paying N20 per basin of garri on market days they now pay the correct market toll of N20 flat, leaving more money for them to invest ingrowing their business. They expressed their gratitude and playfully dragged the team into dancing as they sang. The Chairperson turns smiles and says as we walk away, "I'm happy for the women here, our women work very hard."

Later on, the Chairperson and her team share collated opinions and strategise on how to quickly translate revenue into services as promised at the launch. She hopes to implement the suggestions from the field, improve the markets, the town in general and assist the women in growing Ishibori market, a weekly market, into a daily market with good amenities. For now she is happy that women are actually already saving money and have a song on their lips.

Cross River Female Garri Tradersin Ishibori Market

Cross River

"They (LG)have never called us for any meeting like this before, we are very happy because the women traders are suffering" says Justina Obi, representative of the Banana Sellers Association, at the Boki LG council and GEMS3 working committee meeting on harmonising revenue rates. Justina Obi was sworn into the working committee with her colleague representing the garri dealers as the only women in the group. They confer and marshal their points with precision and clarity, as t h e p r i v a t e s e c t o r a n d L G representat ives have heated discourse on what revenues should be paid to the council. Eloquently presenting the case of banana and garri unions, which are dominated by women, they ensure the multiple taxation of transporters carrying their goods are addressed, to stop the slow death of their businesses. For these women the issue of multiple taxation isn't just a direct matter, they are able to calculate and factor in the indirect effects of taxation in the business

environment around them. GEMS3 visited Justina Obi at Ntemade market in Boki for an update on the process. She is now regularly mobilising the women and is a n x i o u s l y m o n i t o r i n g t h e i m p l e m e ntat i o n o f t h e n e w harmonized tax bye law which has been passed by the Boki LG legislature. Off the top of her head she reels off the rates which she and her association members suggested to the council to reduce the haulage costs driving business from their markets and tells us a visit to the Chairman is next. They intend to keep being heard.

Mrs Justina Obi - Leaders Banana Sellers Association Boki LG.

Ogoja LG Chairperson, Hon Rita Ayim withtrader displaying POS receipt in Ishibori market

Boki women traders joinTax Harmonization exercise

KogiOshokoshoko womenstand up for SLTR

For Ejigbo Local Council Development Area (LCDA) of Lagos State, revenue collection will never be the same again. Thanks to the introduction of the new payment mechanism under the Growth and Employment in States (GEMS3) programme, revenue collection has received a boost.

Following the formal launch of the PoP (Point of Pay) in December 2013 in the LCDA, residents and Revenue Officers have demonstrated their commitment to using the new payment option with positive results.

Before the launch, a formal meeting was held with the Executive members of the LCDA during which they were briefed on the modalities for the operations of the new payment option and mobilised the stakeholders in the community. Women have particularly been in the forefront of the new initiative.Impressed by the benefits of the use of the PoP, an elderly woman at the launch last year urged all stakeholders in the council to embrace the new payment mechanism. "This is a convenient and transparent means of payment, thanks to the administration of Kehinde Bamigbetan," she said. To the delight of those present at the programme, she paid using the terminal and has become a reference point for others to emulate.An indication of the expected increase in revenue generated in the LCDA by using the PoP is the case of a female Revenue Officer, Mrs Olorunfemi Owosho, who within two months made a total collection of

N324,000.00. "Now the residents take us more seriously with the use of the new system of payment," Owosho stated. Her collection represents over 10 percent of the total collection made by the LCDA within the period, while her team realised N1.294m out of the total of N3 million generated.

The Revenue Officer and her team were commended by the Executive Chairman, Kehinde Bamigbetan as a ceremony to mark two months of using the facility provided by GEM3."With this method, we have brought Banks to the people and our people now have the opportunity to fulfil their responsibility with ease," Bamigbetan noted.

The Head of Budget and Head of Accounts of the council who are also women and other executive members have been very supportive of the project.

Women embrace PoP usein Ejigbo LCDA

Lagos

The Town Hall meeting on the S y s t e m a t i c L a n d T i t l i n g a n d R e g i s t r a t i o n ( S LT R ) h e l d i n Oshokosoho, Kogi state in March 2014 was a special day for women of that community. The meet ing was organised to inform residents of the Land Public Display scheduled for that month. During the Town Hall meeting, women who had started the land registration process and had their lands demarcated were asked to identify themselves by show of hands and all the women at the meeting had their hands in the air.Prior to the first phase of door to door sensitisation, these women had never heard of the SLTR process and did not understand the importance of acquiring a Certificate of Occupancy. Now aware that they have an opportunity to acquire the Certificate, they decided as a group to ensure that a l l female landowners in the community take part in the process. They did not want to be left behind, they wanted to have the same land security as the men have and thus, they encouraged one other to take part

in the registration. They even assisted the field officers by telling them what time to come back to a neighbour's house if that person was not home during their visit. Most of the women own multiple farmlands, some of which inherited from parents or late husbands and they are happy to know that taking part in this process means securing their lands and the future o f the Oshokoshoko children. The Oshokoshoko women, especially the widows are very excited about the prospects the land registration process offers and they all look forward to obtaining their certificates as a group. The widows can sleep well at night knowing that their chi ldren's inheritance is secure

Financial managementspurs development ofwomen’s businesses

Kano

An innovative approach to women's business training is helping many female Nigerian business owners gain much needed access to capital.

Women's economic empowerment is seen as key objective to improving the small business environment and thus the economy of many countries, particularly Nigeria.

The GEMS3 programme - Growth and Employment in States was set up to aid this. GEMS3 works with private and public stakeholders at National, State and local government levels to build and deliver a systematic framework that will help make it easier to do business in Nigeria, leading to lasting i m p r o v e m e n t s i n e c o n o m i c opportunities for the poor, especially women. This is a DFID-funded programme implemented by Adam Smith International .

Based on the expressed needs of women for support to access finance for their businesses during its engagements with the states, GEMS 3

trained 12 women from four focal states in a Training of Trainers workshop in Nigeria's capital city, Abuja, in March 2013. The training was facilitated by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Small and Medium Enterprises Development Agency (SMEDAN) and Youth Enterprise with Innovation in Nigeria (YouWIN). Besides pointing the women to funding processes and sources for their businesses, the training highlighted the need for financial management skills for business success. These 12 'master trainers' signed a commitment to provide 'step-down' training to a minimum of five other women within six months.

Armed with the A2F training, Hussiana Ahmed Umar, a member of the National Association of Small Scale Industrialists (NASSI), began her step-down training the very next day with three members of NASSI in the state of Kano in northern Nigeria. Supported by its Chairman, Hussiana and the three women she trained then trained a further 100 female NASSI members.

Oshokoshoko women identifying with the SLTR processat a town hall meeting

Hussaina Ahmed Umar (2nd left) with some of her staffat the newly opened school