SME.NG in partnership with top financial institution, Access Bank Plc and other leading institutions, including the Bank of Industry (BOI), LAPO Microfinance Bank, Chapel Hill Denham, and the Impact Investment Foundation Nigeria are launching the Ebi Marketplace – a Nigerian innovation for female entrepreneurs.
The Ebi Marketplace comprises an access to capital market, an e-commerce mall and a knowledge market for female entrepreneurs in Nigeria seeking to digitize their businesses.
Conceptualised and developed by SME.NG as a tangible solution to the impact of COVID-19 on female entrepreneurs, the Ebi Marketplace aims to close the gender digital divide in Nigeria by supporting women’s digital literacy and financial inclusion, while providing access to capital and markets.
Thelma Ekiyor, the brain behind the Ebi Marketplace stated that SME.NG is committed to investing in facilitating female entrepreneurs’ profitability, so that they are positioned for infusion of capital.
According to Ekiyor, the innovation is supported by Nigerian investors for the Nigerian market.
She stated: “We at SME.NG see ourselves as an indigenous solutions provider in Nigeria’s SME ecosystem. Women in Nigeria establish businesses more than men, but struggle to grow beyond a certain point. We believe we have a strategic role to play in breaking that financial and growth ceiling.”