Iyalode Alaba Lawson is the first female president of Nigerian Association of Chambers of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture (NACCIMA) and also the leader of the women’s group known as NACCIMA Women’s Group (NAWORG). In this interview with YETUNDE OLADEINDE, the NACCIMA boss talks about government interventions for women entrepreneurs, her achievements and challenges as NACCIMA president and more.
What role can women play to improve the economy?
We must not look down on the role that women are going to play. The women are the architect of the micro economy in this great country. They are the ones moving the GDP of the country with either their formal or informal trading that they are doing. And so, we are the architect and the engine room of the growth of the economy and that is why we say that when they produce, we must exhibit what they produce.
Women cannot be underestimated. We signed an MOU with FIIRO and our women would be trained to be well advanced, even in ICT or in any research that is going on in FIIRO. We thank FIIRO DG and her team for giving us that opportunity. This collaboration is a good one.
It is by exhibiting what they produce so that people would know about it and then patronise them. When they produce more, they create jobs and when they create jobs, they alleviate poverty. Definitely, you see that it is interwoven. It is a chain that cannot be broken.
This is the eight edition of NAWORG International Women Exhibition (NIWEX), what are some of the achievements over the years?
There are many. More women are now into entrepreneurship; more are being trained and some of them are moving from informal to formal and we have seen so much progress. They are enjoying the funding from Bank of Industry (BoI). Even the market women amongst us are benefiting because we reach down to the grassroots and not only to the elites. Some of the women are moving from their informal trading and they are making shea butter products. They go into the villages and some of the progress can be seen in the packaging and branding. Those doing tie and dye are enjoying the money from BoI. Each group was given N8 million and we formed them into cooperatives. All these are the gains and the success stories of NACCIMA business women’s group.
What are some of the challenges?
The main challenge is the funding but I want to thank this present government. Even our market women get loan from them. That loan has even made it better for the women and they are now using their phones to transfer money and refund the money back to BoI. So, you can see that it has so many advantages. THE loan is between N50,000 or N100,000. If your first pay is N50,000, then the next one would be N100,000.
If you finish paying the N100,000 loan within the stipulated time, they will give you moratorium and this is very good. If you pay your N100, 000, then you are entitled to N200, 000, just like that. And from their cooperatives they are entitled to N500,000 and all this makes the economy to grow at the lower level and I am very happy with this and I am grateful that our women are coming out to fulfil their dreams. By doing this, they would help their husbands and ensure that the homes, the communities, and extended families are taken care of.
What can government do to empower these women?
We are really working on it and I must tell you that the government has been very positive by giving them intervention funds that helps. Most of the problems that the women in businesses face are funding, financing and government has been trying by putting in so many intervention funds. However, in the implementation of these funds, there are so many bottlenecks in getting these funds and we want the government to look into this. They must make sure that these intervention funds reach the hands of those medium small entrepreneurs to enable them to fund their businesses and meet the demands of the people.
What is your advice to women who are not economically empowered?
I would like them to go and be entrepreneurs. Even if you are selling water, you are an entrepreneur. If you are making pots or involved in petty trading, it is the same thing. I want them to go out and learn a skill and use their talents. They should not bury their talents but use it. Everyone is blessed with a talent; my talent is different from yours. But if we can collate it, it would move the economy. They should go out and speak to some of them and we will mentor them because they need mentoring and they would be of good use to themselves and they won’t depend on anybody.
You are known for mentoring women, what advice do you have for Nigerian women?
If you are in position, I want you to help the downtrodden ones. It is not just money, some people just need advice, and some need closeness to give them direction. Some need just a little word of encouragement. I want them to open their doors to others to gain. I want them to open their doors for mentorship. Mentoring differs because when someone gets close to you, then you would know what he or she wants.
It is on that basis that you can help and as I said earlier with all the intervention funds, if it is money, you can then tailor such into a cooperative or into something else. I am trying to restructure the Federation of Business Women in West Africa (FEBWE) and I am looking for those who can use their hands in ICT, so that they can compare and compete favourably with other countries in West Africa. We have about 16 countries and we are going to be moving together. It was launched in Ghana a few years ago and this is the Nigerian chapter. I am the chairperson and I am mentoring those who can use ICT because they would be dealing with organisations like UNIDO, UNWOMEN, ANWBN and others. So, as women, we must compare and contrast to see what we can do to uplift one another. Then at the end we can sit down and see them growing. This is usually my joy when I see them growing. I love this so much and I do it quietly sometimes. But sometimes, a number of these women come out and say that you have mentored me. I always feel good at such moments.
Let’s talk about some memorable moments as NACCIMA president
It was a great day at my investiture. Just before I was nominated and elected, there had been different challenges especially when you have had 18 national presidents who are all men. So, coming out as the first woman national president, I would have passed through challenges. I have just spent six months but my success stories are there and I thank God for giving me that opportunity. Let others talk about my achievements, don’t let me do that. Let them compare and ask what has Alaba Lawson done that has made her to be head and shoulders above others.
One of the first things that I did that I can talk about is the first-ever NACCIMA Conference in Abuja. It is going to be an annual event and it is going to be a great one for NACCIMA, at least to know that we can move the economy forward. It was great working with Pascal Dozie, his wife and the team. Here, many learnt how to move our economy through agriculture. Let’s go back to tilling the land but in a mechanised way. If our forefathers could till the land and build the first tallest building in Africa then with the proceeds from Cocoa, what are we waiting for? Let’s get back to the farms and ensure that agric is business and we can move the economy forward now that oil is no longer viable.
