L
…… I have gone through the ladder and it is not a journey that started today.
Dr. Blessing Irabo Oza won the election by getting 22 votes out of 26 votes to become the National Deputy Coordinator 2 of Association of Nigeria Women Business Network ANWBN.
The election took place at the ANWBN 2025 Summit in Lagos State Nigeria.
This land slide victory of Dr. Mrs Blessing Irabo Oza did not come as a surprise to members of ANWBN, her commitment and dedication to her organization proved that if given the opportunity to lead , she will do more things that will take ANWBN to a greater hights.
Dr. Mrs Blessing Irabo Oza, the newly elected National Deputy Coordinator 2 of Association of Nigeria Women Business Network (ANWBN) and the President of OWIT was interviewed by Seun Fakoya the publisher of The Eye News. In her words she said ” I thank God and our members for believing and trust in me, by the grace of God I won’t let them down.
“I have been a deputy coordinator for the NASIMA Business Women Group over eight years ago, i have been been part of AWEP as their South-South PRO, which is the African Women Entrepreneurship. I continue to serve in different organizations, so most of the women here already know me. They know my capacity and they know what I can bring to their table. They also know that I’ve not come to tell them stories of what has not been done”.
Let me start by saying few things about OWIT.
Organization of Women in International Trade (OWIT) was registered in 2018 and established in Nairobi Kenya and we started operating in Nigeria in 2019. Presently OWIT has about 1,800 plus members, it comprises of personal members and associations members inside OWIT.
When we newly started in Nigeria, among ten exporters you could find one or two women in this business but the story has changed now because now among ten exporters, you can find five or six women competing firely with men in export business.
“OWIT was able to achieve this by educating women and exposing them to export business, we advocated for simplification of export processing of documents and the Federal Government listened to us, expecialy the Federal Ministry of Industry Trade and Investment (FMOITI). We sent alot of letters to them, telling them reasons they need to encourage women in export business by making the processing of export documents easy. This lead to the works of OWIT as part of the global alliance for trade fercilitaion.
Trade facilitation is a process of simplifying your process and harmonizing it, so OWIT was able to use that platform, if trade facilitation ; according to WTO is for you to simplify your process, simplify it for Nigerian women to be exporting their goods.
I want to talk about ANWBN, ANWBN is a coalition of all the associations that is being lead by women in Nigeria. From each of these associations, leaders are chosen to lead this organisations that is ANWBN through election”.
Now that I have been elected as Deputy Coordinator2 of ANWBN, I will support to enhance what ANWBM is already doing. If you check our mandate, ANWBM is a coalition not a membership organization. So what does this tell us? It tells us that we are to support the membership organization which is 87, that is inside ANWBN organization.
First and foremost I will be supporting the NC to strengthen up the associations that are part of this network. Then we are to give the association visibility and you know in numbers lie strengths. As a coalition that has the numbers, we will be pushing a lot of policy reforms to the government through the advocacy group.
We will be looking at policies that have been an hindrance to women, it can be in the area of trade, education and any other sector. Will be looking at how do we support to push for these policy reforms that will make the Nigerian women to stand one-on-one with their foreign counterparts from the Western world, which are women organizations.
ANWBN coalition has an organization that is supporting the grassroots women, they are called the Country Women Association, COAN. COAN is working with small women in agriculture, market women and so on”.
“So the coalition is inclusive, we have every organization that is doing different thing in the ANWBN coalition. So, we coming on board today is to support and to strengthen those coalitions. To know why they not able to support the women at the grassroots, So from our assessment, whatever we find out we are going to push for policy that will support them and we are going to push for reform and also lobby.
My national coordinator said that from next year, we should be pushing on having our presidents and the escorts serving on different boards because it is when we are among board members and a place in legislation,we will be able to make positive impact society. We are the one that deals with these women directly, we know their plight and we understand them. So we will be able to advocate for policy that will reform them.
“For my opponent that walked away, at times we manage emotions in different ways but I know that she will come around, I will call her, I will speak to her. This is a journey and it’s a continuous journey”.
The ANWBN 2025 SUMMIT gained support from Coporate organizations and some stakeholders displayed their their products.ocate for policy that will reform them.
For my opponent that walked away, at times we manage emotions in different ways but I know that she will come around, I will call her, I will speak to her. This is a journey and it’s a continuous journey”.
The ANWBN 2025 SUMMIT gained support from Coporate organizations and some stakeholders displayed their their products.
