MTN Foundation, UN Women partner to boost rural women entrepreneurs

MTN Foundation has entered into a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with United Nations Women to broaden economic prospects for rural women engaged in farming, launching a new alliance set to benefit more than 200 women across Kano and Cross River States.

The initiative, which falls under the Foundation’s Y’ellopreneur programme, will provide participants with training in business management and farming techniques, access to digital finance tools, entry points into wider markets, and modern equipment to process their goods — all aimed at helping the women grow viable enterprises, boost their earnings, and uplift their local communities.

This latest effort adds to MTN Foundation’s existing commitment of over ₦1.2 billion directed toward women-led businesses since 2022, a programme that has already reached more than 6,099 women entrepreneurs in peri-urban areas nationwide. The new rural-focused phase will support women working in the rice sector in Kano State, along with those in cassava and seafood production in Cross River State.

Under the programme, beneficiaries will be registered on MoMo PSB’s digital payment system and linked to an online marketplace connecting them with large-scale buyers. They will also gain access to modern processing centres that run on eco-friendly biogas power, aimed at lifting output, cutting losses after harvest, and making their products more competitive in the market.

At the signing event, MTN Foundation’s Executive Director, Odunayo Sanya, remarked: “Empowering women is one of the most effective ways to build and grow more resilient communities. Through our partnership with UN Women, we are expanding the Y’ellopreneur Initiative to reach rural women whose contributions to agriculture are critical to Nigeria’s economic growth. We are combining skill development, digital inclusion and improved market access, to create opportunities that will deliver lasting impact for these women as well as their communities.”

Commenting on the collaboration, Beatrice Eyong, UN Women’s Representative to Nigeria and ECOWAS, stated: “Rural women are at the heart of agricultural production and community development, yet many remain excluded from the digital systems that increasingly shape economic opportunities and access to essential services. At UN Women, we believe that women’s rights are human rights. Every woman should have the ability and freedom to make informed choices about her future. This initiative will help us achieve these goals.”

Speaking on behalf of MoMo PSB’s Acting Chief Executive Officer, Omolara Michael-Nwadu, the company’s Head of Internal Audit and Forensics, Howard Edafe, noted: “Our key objective at MoMo PSB is to drive financial inclusion to the remotest parts of Nigeria and ensure that more people, especially underserved communities, can participate in the formal financial system.”

Beneficiaries will be chosen through a grassroots selection process led by UN Women in partnership with key stakeholders, including state Ministries of Women Affairs and Agriculture, along with local community organisations.

Through this joint effort, MTN Foundation, UN Women, and MoMo PSB hope to establish a replicable framework for driving women’s financial independence and reinforcing agricultural and processing supply chains.

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