WorldStage— The Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI) has reaffirmed its commitment to supporting women entrepreneurs through advocacy for improved access to finance, markets and technology to enable them to grow their businesses.
The President and Chairman of Council of LCCI, Mr Leye Kupoluyi, made the commitment on Thursday in Lagos at the 2026 Sales Exhibition and Product Day organised by the chamber’s Women Group.
Kupoluyi said women entrepreneurs required an enabling environment to thrive and stressed the need to bridge financing gaps confronting women-owned businesses.
According to him, the chamber will continue to advocate policies that improve women’s access to finance and deepen engagement with relevant institutions to strengthen women-led enterprises.
“We will continue to use our platform to support women enterprises and advocate greater access to finance for women-owned businesses.
“We also look forward to greater engagement with relevant institutions to improve the participation of women enterprises,” he said.
Kupoluyi also called for improved market access for women entrepreneurs, particularly within the African Continental Free Trade Area, noting that intra-African trade presented huge opportunities for business growth.
He said women accounted for about 70 per cent of Africa’s informal cross-border trade and urged them to embrace technology to remain competitive.
“I encourage women entrepreneurs to adopt new technologies to grow their businesses because technology has become essential for modern trade,” he said.
Earlier, the Chairperson of the LCCI Women Group, Mrs Olufemi Ogun, said the annual exhibition was designed to provide entrepreneurs with visibility, market access and networking opportunities.
Speaking on the theme, “She Trades, She Thrives: Showcasing Excellence through Connecting Markets,” Ogun said the programme was organised in collaboration with the chamber’s SME Group to promote women-owned businesses.
She said the exhibition was conceived on the belief that entrepreneurs required more than encouragement, adding that they also needed access to markets, partnerships and patronage.
“This is more than a marketplace. It is a platform for discovery, connection, collaboration and inspiring success stories,” she said.
Ogun described the exhibitors as women whose businesses reflected sacrifice, resilience, creativity and ambition, urging participants to engage with and support them.
She added that this year’s edition featured successful female industrialists and entrepreneurs who would mentor and inspire emerging women business owners.
According to her, supporting entrepreneurs strengthens businesses, sustains livelihoods and contributes to national economic growth
