Encomium
MTN Foundation, in partnership with the Bank of Industry (BOI), held a pitch session for female entrepreneurs participating in the third edition of Y’ellopreneur on Tuesday, August 11, 2026, at the MTN Rooftop Events Centre, Ikoyi, Lagos. The session followed six weeks of intensive training at the Enterprise Development Centre of Pan-Atlantic University to strengthen participants’ business planning, management, market readiness and access to equipment financing.
This third edition of Y’ellopreneur builds on a NGN1 billion matching fund launched by MTN Foundation and the Bank of Industry to provide equipment financing for 200 women entrepreneurs seeking to scale their businesses. The fund is jointly financed on a 50:50 basis by both institutions, with eligible women-led MSMEs able to access loans of up to NGN5 million. The programme also combines financing with structured training and business advisory support for entrepreneurs across sectors including agro-processing, light manufacturing, fashion, energy, waste management and digital services.
Dr. Sandra O. Yoroh, State Manager, Bank of Industry, said the training had helped participants gain a better understanding of business structure and the requirements for building viable enterprises. “They understand what they need to have a structure in the business and what it means for a business to be properly structured,” she said, noting that BOI would provide business advisory services and assess the businesses presented by the participants. The partnership is focused on helping women develop sustainable enterprises.
For Adejo Oladunni Olamide, Supervisor at Dunz Agro Food, the six-week programme provided practical lessons for managing and growing her agribusiness, which operates in farming and food processing. She said the training improved her knowledge of business, staff and customer management while giving her a clearer growth plan. “The journey so far has been so innovative, from the learning, to the application, to the pitching. Through this process, I’ve been able to acquire knowledge on business management, staff management, and customer management,” Olamide said she expects greater visibility and a more productive approach to running the business after completing the programme.
The focus on training and finance addresses a significant constraint for Nigerian women entrepreneurs. The World Bank reports that women own about 40% of Nigeria’s micro, small and medium enterprises, while female-led firms face higher barriers to accessing finance. Its research also found that women-led businesses recorded a 56% loan rejection rate, compared with 17% for male-led firms.
Through Y’ellopreneur 3.0, MTN Foundation and BOI are addressing part of this gap by combining business training, pitching, advisory services and equipment financing. The pitch session featured 760 entrepreneurs, with up to 200 female entrepreneurs set to receive equipment financing of up to NGN5 million each.
