Ingressive harps on opportunities for Nigeria’s start-ups

The need to nurture new innovations (start-ups) and entrepreneurial ideas that have been described as great investment opportunities in the country has been re-echoed by Ingressive.

Ingressive is a company that connects companies in Africa with international investors.

The Founder and Executive Director, Ingressive, Maya Horgan-Famodu, said there is need to connect Sub-Saharan Africa start-ups with money and mentorship, which they need to grow by guiding top United States’ technology investors and entrepreneurs to the new generation of African innovators, which include women.

According to her, the purpose of the event was to bring together experts in building start-ups to meet, mentor and invest in those who are ready to take up entrepreneurship challenges.

She said: “The world has turned to Africa, and we are guiding investors and influencers who are ready to mentor and ready to commit capital. Nigeria and Kenya have two of the fastest growing technology hubs in the world, the fastest growing consumer classes and incredible opportunity.

“We want to create a space for people to feel comfortable and be inspired. We want to find opportunity to collaborate, whether to create mentorship programme for business women in Nigeria or create a programme that will address some of the challenges and make it easy for women to do business in Nigeria and be successful.”

Also, Women in Management, Business and Public Service (WIMBIZ) and stakeholders in the capital market said the long-term investment potentials of Nigeria represent great opportunities for investors, particularly enterprising women.

However, the development, according to WIMBIZ, is a veritable tool to increase women’s economic engagement in the labour force and entrepreneurship.

WIMBIZ is a non-governmental organisation that aims to promote women’s entrepreneurship and advancement across all sectors.

The Deputy Head of Deutsche Bank and founding member of WIMBIZ, Mrs. Adeola Azeez, said that our economy is growing and in competitive edge against others and behind the growth “lies the notable influence of over 50 per cent of Africa’s population, which is women. The women are the driving force behind Africa’s economy.”
The President of European Trade Association for Business and the first woman Chairman at FirstBank, Mrs. Ibukun Awosika, also shared her experience, which every successful female entrepreneur need to know.

Awosika said the key to a successful business enterprise is the ability to manage the home and the business effectively.

“A woman who can run her home efficiently will have a strong foundation on which to build her business but without credit it would be difficult for businesswomen to build a strong capital base to further their business,” she said.

The event was designed to further equip women for enterprise development, as well as assist in the transformation and expansion of women’s businesses into enterprises that generate employment, economic benefits and social value.