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  In a bid to empower women economically and promote their participation in the traditional and non-traditional agricultural business sectors, the AECF SME Investment Window Round 2 is inviting applications for women in Nigeria to stand a chance of gaining grants in the Investing in Women in Nigeria (IIW-Nigeria) program’s CAN $15.7 million, funded by Global Affairs Canada (GAC).
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The program aims to

  • Enhance the engagement of women in the private sector as economic actors across the key agricultural value chain.
  • Improve the private and public sector investment in small and medium enterprises that are owned by women, as well as other ventures aimed at creating economic opportunities for women.
  • Reduce the trend of systemic gender inequalities that hinder the effective participation of women in climate-smart agriculture.
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The four key objectives of the program include

  • Provide finance for small and medium-sized enterprises and finance institutions that use innovative technologies and other novel solutions to create gender-transforming, climate-smart economic opportunities for women, e.g., through employment creation, market linkages, and suppliers of inputs/products/services along the value chain.
  • Provide targeted business development technical assistance and capacity building on gender mainstreaming for businesses.
  • Advocate and increase awareness of the business case for investing in women in Kano.
  • Provide incentives for innovations that will lead to sustainable widespread adoption of climate-smart practices in the agriculture sector and increase the resilience of both companies and the women that they work with to climate shocks.
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To be eligible for the program

  • The applicant must be a private or public sector enterprise focused on the geographical scope of agricultural value chains.
  • Companies interested in the program must be able to prove that they employ women, provide products and services that are of benefit to women in the agricultural sector, and include women in their supply chain.
  • The applying company must prove female ownership or have a management team predominantly led by women and have a business model aimed at delivering transformational benefits for women.
  • Companies interested must be able to propose an investment that is innovative in climate-smart technologies or business solutions that are gender transformative for women.
  • The company must request grant funding within the stipulated period.
  • The company must prove that they have been compliant with fundamental laws and regulations in Nigeria, including tax compliance laws.
  • The company must be compliant with human rights, labour standards, and environmental management laws.
  • The company must be legally registered and physically present in Nigeria and have been operational for not less than two years.
  • The company must not be involved in illegalities.
The deadline for applications is September 11, 2024. Click HERE to apply.
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This article was first published on 3rd September 2024

ugo-chinedu

I am a Lion, I love to hit heights that seem impossible so I can motivate others and prove doubters wrong. For me, impossible is nothing. I'm open to learning and I love to read, travel and meet new faces.

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