FATE-GOOGLE BUSINESS RESILIENCE PROGRAM (BRP) FOR WOMEN ENTREPRENEURS IN NIGERIA

Are you a woman entrepreneur who is the breadwinner of her family?

Or perhaps you’re a female student struggling to pay for your education with the proceeds of your small business…

The 2023 Business Resilience Program for Women Entrepreneurs is a golden opportunity for you to get:

• Premium entrepreneurial training (including how to boost your startup)
• Your business registered
• Access to financial grants
• Digital Literacy Skills
• Financial Management training
• Growth Support (including business registration, network, and community building)

All for FREE!

In this article, we will guide you on the procedures for applying to the wonderful Business Resilience Program powered by FATE Foundation and Google. Keep reading to get started!

About the Sponsors of the FATE-Google Business Resilience Program (BRP)

Indeed, empowering a woman is empowering a nation, as they’re not only birth-givers but home-builders and society-developers. FATE foundation, in collaboration with Google, has set up a Business Resilience Program to train and empower women entrepreneurs in Nigeria.

FATE Foundation is a leading organisation that empowers and supports enterprising Nigerians to to Start, Grow and Scale their businesses. Established in March 2000, the organisation has already reached out to more than 200,000 entrepreneurs, with over 7,000 graduates of their various programs across Nigeria.

Interestingly, the 2023 Business Resilience Program for Women Entrepreneurs is funded with the help of Google, under the “SSA Women Entrepreneurship Programme”. It is meant to be a continent-wide program targeting Nigeria, South Africa and Kenya.

Aims and Objectives of the 2023 BRP

• Improving the digital literacy of African female entrepreneurs
• Enhancing the financial capability of females engaged in nano and micro businesses.
• Reducing the unemployment rate, especially among (young and middle-aged) women

Scope of the 2023 Business Resilience Program

The scope of the Business Resilience Program covers:

• Micro Grant financing to 200 participants
• Free Business Registration for 200 participants
• Free access to Foundation’s Business Plan Developer Tool
• Certificate of Completion
• Opportunity to be featured on FATE Foundation’s or the partners Social Media pages

Meanwhile, the BRP curriculum contains modules on:

• Financial Management
• Business Plan Development
• Digital Marketing
• Accessing Funding
• Business Networks
• Confidence Building

Application Requirements

In Nigeria, to be eligible for the 2023 BRP for Women Entrepreneurs, you need to be:

• AA female entrepreneur of between 18 and 55 years.
• Running a nano business (less than 3 employees) or micro business (between 4 to 9 employees) in Nigeria.
• Having a minimum of secondary school certificate (qualification).
• Able to understand and communicate in English.
• Having access to the internet and a Smartphone device (with the ability to use the device).
• Resident or willing to reside in Lagos, Ogun, Edo, Kwara or Abia (where the physical sessions will take place) during the training.

NOTE: Special consideration will be given to women who are breadwinners, widows, and single parents.

Structure of the FATE-Google Business Resilience Program, 2023

The BRP will be run in 2 phases at the nano and micro levels. They are:

Phase I:

• Self-paced fully online 4 week program
• Access to Business Plan Developer Tool

Phase II:

• Hybrid program by experienced financial & digital literacy for entrepreneurs experts
• Business Registration Support
• Micro Grant support

NOTE: Eligibility for Phase II will be dependent on the completion of all Modules and requirements from Phase I.

Application Procedure for the 2023 Business Resilience Program for Women Entrepreneurs

Qualified and interested? You can go to the FATE Foundation website to apply, or simply follow the steps below:

• Create an account or sign in (if you already have an account) via the link: https://soar.fatefoundation.org/programmes/

• You can sign up using your email address, after which you will be required to verify your account by clicking the link in an email sent to you.
• After your account has been activated, login and navigate to ‘Programmes’ from the menu on the top left corner of the dashboard.
• Select the Google Business Resilience Program and proceed to fill in your details for the application.

NOTE: The BRP application will be in three (3) stages, and you are required to complete all three stages to be eligible for further processing.

The stages are:

Stage 1: Completion of the Application Form

Stage 2: Onboarding stage

This is the stage where applicants across the country will be directed to complete a 4-week virtual digital and financial literacy training on an e-learning platform.

Stage 3: Screening stage

This is where best-performing applicants (with high grades and fast completion of modules) will be shortlisted for a 10-minute phone/video interview.

At the end of the 3 stages, 40 applicants will be shortlisted for each stream held in Lagos, Ogun, Edo, Kwara and Abia state. Note that the training is hybrid (involves both online and physical sessions). Hence, applicants are advised to be resident in the city where they have applied for the program to avoid inconveniences. The locations of the applicants will also be verified during the shortlisting process.

Application Deadline

The application process will be in different streams with different deadlines, as shown in the image below:

For more details, you can visit the FATE Foundation website.

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