Investing In Women-Owned Businesses Will Boost Jobs, Incomes — Mahmoud

The Minister of State for the Federal Capital Territory, Dr Mariya Mahmoud, has said that investing in women-owned businesses would deliver significant economic returns through job creation, innovation and improved household incomes.

Mahmoud stated this at the closing session of the 2026 Abuja Business and Investment Expo (ABIE 3.0), where the final day was dedicated to Women’s Impact Day with the theme: “Shaping the Future: Her Voice, Her Vision, Her Legacy.”

She reaffirmed the Federal Capital Territory Administration’s commitment to improving the ease of doing business through sustained investments in infrastructure, business-friendly reforms, and policies that encourage private-sector participation.
According to her, the administration’s economic strategy aligns with President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda, which places entrepreneurship, economic diversification, innovation and women’s empowerment at the centre of Nigeria’s long-term development priorities.

Mahmoud said greater support for women entrepreneurs would not only strengthen businesses but also contribute to broader economic development by expanding employment opportunities and increasing household incomes.

Delivering the keynote address, Ghana’s Deputy Chief of Staff (Administration) and former Minister of Gender, Nana Oye Bampoe-Addo, called on African governments to complement progressive legislation with adequate funding, saying implementation remained a major challenge to women’s economic inclusion across the continent.

She noted that although many African countries had introduced reforms covering land ownership, maternal healthcare, childcare and women’s empowerment, inadequate funding had limited their impact.

“Please fund the laws that you sign,” she said, urging governments to invest in childcare, maternal health and land reforms to remove barriers limiting women’s productivity and entrepreneurial growth.
Bampoe-Addo also called on civil society organisations to bridge the gap between women in the informal economy and formal financial institutions by connecting market women and small-scale entrepreneurs with banks, government agencies and business support programmes.
She further advocated removing barriers to cross-border trade, urging African governments to allow women traders to move freely across the continent in line with the aspirations of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).

Also speaking, the Group Managing Director of Abuja Investments Company Limited, Ambassador Maureen Tamuno, called for stronger policies to guarantee women equal access to finance, investment opportunities, markets, and leadership positions.

Tamuno said inclusive growth could not be achieved without greater economic participation by women, urging governments, development partners and the private sector to move beyond commitments on gender inclusion and adopt practical measures to expand opportunities for women-led businesses.

She described women as major drivers of economic transformation and enterprise development, stressing that empowering them was no longer merely a social objective but an economic imperative capable of accelerating productivity, strengthening communities and driving sustainable development.