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Summary
Nigeria has announced the first 146 women-led MSMEs to benefit from the WTO-ITC Women Exporters in the Digital Economy Fund. The programme will provide them with training, funding, and access to global markets.
The Women Exporters in the Digital Economy (WEIDE) Fund, launched in 2024 by the World Trade Organisation (WTO) Secretariat and the International Trade Centre (ITC), has announced the first cohort of Nigerian women-led micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) to benefit from the initiative.
The announcement, made on August 14, 2025, confirmed that 146 Nigerian women entrepreneurs were selected from over 67,000 applicants to receive targeted support aimed at boosting their digital capabilities, financial readiness, and export potential.
Over the next 18 months, the beneficiaries will undergo training, receive funding, and gain access to global networks to strengthen their businesses in the digital economy.
Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, WTO Director-General, commented,
“The WEIDE Fund is a $50 million fund jointly managed by the WTO and ITCnews, designed to support women to thrive through trade in the digital economy.”
Nigeria is one of four pilot countries for the USD 50 million WEIDE Fund, alongside Jordan, the Dominican Republic, and Mongolia. The fund is designed to empower women entrepreneurs through enhanced access to finance, technical assistance, export markets, and business support networks.
It will provide grants, digital skills training, export competitiveness coaching, and connections to online market platforms, with the goal of creating more inclusive and effective business ecosystems.
In each participating country, the programme will begin with a two-day launch event featuring high-level discussions and in-person technical training. It will then be followed by a 12-month support cycle tailored to the needs of selected MSMEs.
Beneficiaries from the Dominican Republic and Mongolia will be announced soon, while Jordan is preparing to launch its call for applications.
