To mark the International Women’s Day (IWD), Advancing Women in Business (ADWIB), an initiative of the Quantum Business School and Entrepreneurship Centre (QBS&EC) has sought to empower women in Port Harcourt.
The opening session of the event commenced on Monday with a sensitisation. The team rallied the famous Mile 1 market in Port Harcourt to empower resourceful women in the state.
Josephine Itonyo who doubles as ADWIB president and managing director of Quantum Business School and Entrepreneurship Centre, Port Harcourt, on the sidelines said they were using the 2018 IWD theme of: “Press for Progress with Mission to Empower Women for Global Impact; Market visits and Capacity Building for Micro-entrepreneurs,” to reach out to the Port Harcourt women and grow their businesses.
“It is a known fact that women are the engine for any economic development. They contribute at least 40 percent to the world’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP), yet they are the least rewarded in their entrepreneurial quest.
“We believe that this is due to their lack of capacity to take their businesses from ‘small enterprise’ to the corporate world. ADWIB provides a platform to build their capacities, equip them with the necessary tools and techniques that are needed to build strong and successful big corporations and to become an international brand,” said Itonyo.
At the Mega Market, the women responded massively and were thrilled by the initiative as it boosts their businesses and strengthens their income, hence making life easier for them.
For the girl-child, the ADWIB has identified 50 of them aged 16-21 years for training, mentoring and exposure required to be a force to be reckoned with in the future.
Advancing women in Business (ADWIB), the corporate responsibility arm of the Quantum Business School was established in 2006. Its aim is to empower Advancing Women in Business (ADWIB) specifically in the area of entrepreneurship in Nigeria. Established in 2006, ADWIB’s main objective is to help women entrepreneurs identify their skills and potentials that could be developed and deployed into economic development and nation building.
