Access To Finance, Stumbling Block For African Entrepreneurs
A former World Bank country director in Nigeria, Marie Francoise Marie-Nelly, has said that access to finance is a challenge and remains a stumbling block to African entrepreneurs.
Marie-Nelly said this while speaking at a panel dialogue about tackling challenges and seizing opportunities during the fifth edition of the Tony Elumelu Foundation Entrepreneurship Forum (TEF) on Friday in Abuja, the Nigerian capital.
Advertisement
“We need to segment the problems and we need to look at the young enterprises.
“There is a need to move to a new phase of seed financing and early capital financing. To provide them for young entrepreneurs,” Marie-Nelly said
On having better access to funds, the, CEO, Nigerian Export Promotion Council, Olusegun Awolowo urged Nigerian entrepreneur to take good advantage of the just signed African Free Trade Continental Agreement.
“It is the largest free trade area in the world.
Advertisement
“85 percent of the jobs that are going to exist in 2030 have not been created yet.”
According to the organisers, the two-day event is themed ‘Empowering African Entrepreneurs,’ and will host “the largest gathering of entrepreneurs, policymakers, and business leaders.”
