Weyinmi Eribo is an Entrepreneur, Global Gender Advisor and a Women’s Economic Empowerment Champion. A trained geologist cum development expert, she is the pioneer and immediate Past Director-General, Women Chamber of Commerce, Industry, Mines & Agriculture (WCCIMA) in Nigeria. After her service at the Chamber, she established Zenforte Consulting, a professional services firm which is focused on building measurable economic infrastructure, particularly on structured financing pathways for women-owned businesses.
As the global community marks the 2026 International Women’s Day with the theme “Give to Gain” the development expert and frontline social justice crusader, in this interview with 120edgenews.com, shares insights about the multi-dimensional gender inequality challenges women are facing globally today, stressing that “Give to Gain” is a powerful reminder that when people invest intentionally in women, the returns are exponential. Below are the excerpts of her views:
By Victoria Onehi
120edgenews.com: Ma, as an entrepreneur, how was your experience able to help you in your role as Director General of WCCIMA?
As an entrepreneur first, leadership at WCCIMA was never theoretical for me. I have experienced the uncertainty of cash flow, the frustration of regulatory bottlenecks, the pressure of payroll, and the constant need to innovate in a volatile economy. That lived experience shaped how I led the team at the Chamber. I did not see women entrepreneurs as statistics; I saw them as real business owners navigating real constraints. It helped me design practical programmes, not cosmetic. It also strengthened my voice in policy rooms because I was speaking from evidence and experience.
120edgenews.com: Madam, could you briefly talk about what the Women Chamber of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture (WCCIMA) was set up to achieve and how you pursued this goal as the pioneer Director-General, including your experiences during your tenure?
The Women Chamber of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture (WCCIMA) was established to create a structured institutional platform for women across commerce, industry, mining, and agriculture. As the pioneer Director-General, my responsibility was to build not just a network, but an institution with credibility, governance, and strategic direction. As a team, we focused on strengthening systems, formalising partnerships, and ensuring women were positioned within national and continental trade conversations. But then, let me say here that building an institution from scratch is never easy — it requires resilience, negotiation, and clarity of vision. But, it was deeply rewarding to see WCCIMA evolve into a respected voice in economic advocacy.
120edgenews.com: Lack of finance is one major challenge many women entrepreneurs are contending with globally, particularly in Sub-Saharan Africa. As a development and finance expert, how have you helped some that you met to cross this hurdle?
On the issue of finance, I have always maintained that the real challenge is not just lack of money, but lack of structure. Many women-owned businesses are viable, but they are not always positioned to attract capital. During my tenure at WCCIMA, my team emphasised financial literacy, governance systems, and aggregation models that made women-led enterprises more bankable. We worked to reposition women from being perceived as “high-risk borrowers” to being recognised as structured economic contributors.
120edgenews.com: Women are major players in Nigeria’s Agriculture sector with over 70% of them involved in agribusiness. Ma, based on your cognate experience in governance and entrepreneurship, what policies do you think the federal and state governments should put in place to make the environment better for them to thrive?
In agriculture, where women constitute a significant percentage of the workforce, policy reforms must go beyond rhetoric. Secured land access is critical. Without land tenure security, productivity remains constrained. The governments must also strengthen gender-responsive financing and ensure women move up the value chain from subsistence to processing, packaging, and export. If we truly want to unlock agricultural transformation, we must integrate women as value chain leaders, not just labour participants.
120edgenews.com: Could you tell us some opportunities that are available for women to leverage in order to access international markets such as the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA)?
The African Continental Free Trade Area presents enormous opportunity. It is one of the most significant economic shifts on the continent. Through partnerships, including initiatives aligned with the United Nations Development Programme, we worked to prepare women to understand standards, export documentation, compliance, and rules of origin. AfCFTA is not just about reduced tariffs; it is about positioning women-led businesses to compete and collaborate across African markets. The opportunity is transformative if approached strategically.
120edgenews.com: Your organisation Zenforte Consulting operates at gender, finance, trade, and institutional reform value chains. How is the organisation translating empowerment into measurable systems that enable women-owned businesses to scale locally and compete globally?
That evolution was very deliberate. After my tenure at the Women Chamber of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture, I realised that while advocacy is powerful, systems are transformative. Representation opens doors, but structure keeps them open. Zenforte Consulting was, therefore, strongly positioned to move from institutional voice to institutional architecture.
At Zenforte, we focus on building measurable economic infrastructure — structured financing pathways for women-owned MSMEs, alignment with credit guarantees, and embedding gender-responsive metrics within institutions. Empowerment must be quantifiable: capital unlocked, procurement accessed, exports facilitated, governance strengthened. We are also advancing AfCFTA readiness by ensuring women-led businesses are not just aware of opportunities under the African Continental Free Trade Area, but are prepared compliant, aggregated, standards-certified, and negotiation-ready.
In essence, the shift has been from advocacy to architecture by designing systems that allow women-owned businesses to scale sustainably, compete globally, and operate within structured economic frameworks.
120edgenews.com: The theme for this year’s International Women’s Day is “Give to Gain.” What opportunities and support can be given to women entrepreneurs, particularly those engaging in agriculture, to help them thrive?
“Give to Gain” is a powerful reminder that when we invest intentionally in women, the returns are exponential. For women entrepreneurs, especially those in agriculture, what must be given is not sympathy, but structure.
First, access must be expanded. Access to secure land tenure is fundamental as a woman who does not control land cannot scale production or attract financing. Beyond land, access to affordable, gender-responsive finance is critical. Many women farmers are productive but excluded from formal credit systems because of collateral requirements that do not reflect their realities.
Second, we must give women access to value chains, not just farms. Too many women remain at the subsistence level. They need structured entry into processing, storage, packaging, branding, and export. With the opportunities presented by the AfCTA, women in agriculture can move from local producers to continental suppliers — but only if they are equipped with knowledge of standards, certification, and trade compliance.
Third, we must give them knowledge and technology as it relates to climate-smart agriculture training, digital tools for market pricing, aggregation models, and mechanisation support will significantly increase productivity and profitability. When we give women structure, skills, and systems support, the gain is increased food security, stronger rural economies, and national growth.
120edgenews.com: What can women and women-led organisations give to bring about abundant gain for young and less privileged women in our communities?
Women and women-led organisations must give three powerful things: mentorship, access, and belief.
Mentorship is transformative. When young women see those who have successfully navigated business, leadership, and policy spaces, it reshapes their confidence and ambition. Exposure shortens the learning curve.
We must also give access — access to networks, procurement opportunities, training programmes, funding pipelines, and decision-making spaces. Economic empowerment is often about whom you know and what room you are invited into.
Institutions like the Women Chamber of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture were built to open those doors structurally, not occasionally.
Beyond that, we must give structure. Financial literacy, governance training, digital competence, and negotiation skills are tools that create independence. Empowerment without skills is temporary but empowerment with skills is sustainable.
Also, we must give belief. Many young and less-privileged women are not lacking in talent but only lacking in exposure and affirmation. When women who have risen extend their knowledge, platforms, and confidence to others, the ripple effect becomes generational.
“Give to Gain” is not just a theme. It is an economic principle. When women invest in women, the community gains.
120edgenews.com: For that female entrepreneur struggling to survive in her business out there,what candid advice will you give such a woman to stay on.
To the woman struggling in her business today, my candid advice is this: do not mistake delay for failure. Entrepreneurship demands resilience, but it also demands structure. Keep proper records. Understand your numbers. Seek mentorship. Collaborate intentionally. Growth is rarely accidental; it is usually the result of disciplined strategy.
120edgenews.com: How do you think women can leverage technology and IT generally to scale and grow their businesses?
Technology is a powerful lever. Women must move from simply using digital platforms socially to deploying them strategically. Digital payments, e-commerce, data tracking, and online branding can significantly expand market reach and operational efficiency. Technology is no longer optional; it is foundational infrastructure for growth.
120edgenews.com: What do you think can be done to improve Women Economic Empowerment (WEE) in Nigeria in terms of what the government and the private sector operators can do?
Improving Women Economic Empowerment in Nigeria requires coordinated action. Government must implement gender-responsive budgeting, improve access to procurement opportunities, and strengthen credit guarantee mechanisms. The private sector must integrate women into supply chains and move beyond corporate social responsibility toward structured supplier diversity and inclusive financing models. Women’s economic participation is not charity — it is smart economics.
120edgenews.com: Apart from finance, what skills do you think women need to acquire to become better equipped entrepreneurs?
Beyond finance, women need negotiation skills, governance knowledge, digital competence, and strategic thinking. Today’s entrepreneur must be as comfortable reading a balance sheet as she is pitching to investors.
120edgenews.com: Ma, what would you consider as legacies that you left behind at WCCIMA that the new Director-General should build on?
As I reflect on my time at WCCIMA, I am proud of the institutional frameworks, partnerships, and trade-readiness structures we established. More importantly, I believe we strengthened the Chamber’s voice and credibility in national and continental economic discourse. Institutions outlive individuals, and I am confident the foundation laid will continue to evolve.
120edgenews.com: What key lessons have you learnt as an entrepreneur and an advocate for women in business you would like to share with us?
The key lessons I have learned are simple but powerful: resilience is non-negotiable, credibility is built through consistency, and collaboration multiplies impact. When women align strategically, we shift systems.
120edgenews.com: What are your final words and how do you relax?
My final words are these — women are not a vulnerable demographic; we are an economic force. Nigeria’s growth trajectory is directly linked to how intentionally we unlock women’s productivity and leadership.
As for relaxation, I value moments of reflection. I read extensively, enjoy sleeping, and when possible, travel to reset and gain perspective. Leadership requires energy, but it also requires stillness.
Quotes
“The governments must also strengthen gender-responsive financing and ensure women move up the value chain from subsistence to processing, packaging, and export. If we truly want to unlock agricultural transformation, we must integrate women as value chain leaders, not just labour participants.”
“We must give women access to value chains, not just farms. Too many women remain at the subsistence level. They need structured entry into processing, storage, packaging, branding, and export.”
“To the woman struggling in her business today, my candid advice is this: do not mistake delay for failure.”
