Bank of Industry, MTN Nigeria Foundation sign ₦1 billion Matching Fund to support women-led micro-enterprises
Date: 2026-02-16
By: Robert Kwaku Annor
The
Bank of Industry (BOI) and the MTN Nigeria Foundation have signed a ₦1 billion
Matching Fund agreement aimed at expanding access to finance and capacity
building for women-led micro-enterprises across Nigeria.
The
partnership is designed to address financing constraints and strengthen
entrepreneurial capabilities among women business owners, reinforcing broader
efforts to promote inclusive economic growth and community development. Under
the arrangement, eligible women entrepreneurs will benefit from improved access
to funding alongside targeted training and business development support.
The
initiative builds on the MTN Nigeria Foundation’s Y’ellopreneur programme,
launched in 2022 as part of its strategy to empower women through
entrepreneurship. Since its inception, the programme has trained more than
5,000 women and facilitated access to finance for 122 beneficiaries, while
equipping participants with business management skills and mentorship
opportunities.
Officials
from both institutions described the agreement as a strategic collaboration
between the public and private sectors to enhance financial inclusion and
enterprise sustainability. They emphasized that strengthening women-led
businesses contributes directly to job creation, income generation, and local
economic resilience.
With
the introduction of the Matching Fund, BOI and the MTN Nigeria Foundation
expect to scale the programme’s impact by reaching more women entrepreneurs,
improving credit accessibility, and supporting the growth of micro-enterprises
operating across various sectors of the Nigerian economy.
The
partners expressed confidence that the collaboration will deliver measurable
outcomes in enterprise development and women’s economic empowerment.
