The Women Entrepreneurs Accelerate Africa (WEAA) has concluded a two-day training of 140 women entrepreneurs in Rivers on AI, financial management and marketing intelligence to strengthen their businesses.
A Lecturer in Management at Robert Gordon University, Aberdeen, Scotland, Dr Chioma Onoshakpor, disclosed this at the training workshop in Port Harcourt on Wednesday.
She said that the aim of the workshop was to equip women entrepreneurs with practical skills for business growth and sustainability.
Onoshakpor, also the founder of Boss Babes Nigeria, said the training was sponsored by the university to support women entrepreneurs across Africa.
She explained that the programme addresses challenges facing women-owned businesses, including limited access to finance, digital technologies and market information.
According to her, the training will move beyond Rivers to other places, including Lagos, Kenya and South Africa.
Onoshakpor urged the participants to apply the knowledge gained to improve their business performance and competitiveness.
She listed alternative financing options for entrepreneurs and expressed satisfaction with participants’ engagement during the sessions.
A Researcher, Data Analyst and Lecturer at Aberdeen Business School, Dr Imabong James, encouraged the women to adopt AI tools and structured social media strategies.
James said that many business entrepreneurs use social media platforms but lacked organised approaches to content creation, audience engagement and brand development.
She introduced planning frameworks to help entrepreneurs create professional content, strengthen brand visibility and maximise digital opportunities.
She also identified multiple responsibilities, such as family, employment and business management, as barriers to consistent social media engagement by entrepreneurs.
She said that AI can assist entrepreneurs in producing authentic content and advised participants to understand platform features, regulations and opportunities.
Also, another Lecturer in Economics and Management in the institution, Dr Tolulope Ibukun, urged women entrepreneurs to embrace market intelligence and sector analysis to improve profitability, attract investors and scale operations.
Ibukun explained that credible market data helps entrepreneurs assess competition, understand industry trends and develop effective pricing strategies.
“When engaging investors, entrepreneurs need credible market data and sector information to demonstrate the viability of their businesses,” she said.
A participant at the workshop, Mercy Nwachukwu, commended the organisers of the programme, saying the knowledge acquired had inspired her to expedite plans to establish her own business.