By Ignatius Chukwu

Copyright businessday

The Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) partnered with the Society of Women Accountants of Nigeria (SWAN), Port Harcourt & District to train 180 female entrepreneurs in the Niger Delta.

The training took almost all of one-week last week and ended with a colourful graduation ceremony at the impressive Horlinks Event Centre in the Marine Base area of the Garden City.

Amaka Ekaba, a fellow of ICAN, who is the Rapporteur-General of SWAN, produced a report that was read and adopted at the closing ceremony with huge applause.

The report recognized Chiedu Ebie, Chairman, NDDC Governing Board; Samuel Ogbuju, Managing Director/CEO, NDDC; Boma Iyaye, Executive Director, Finance & Administration of the NDDC; Victor Antai, NDDC Executive Director, Projects; Ifedayo Agbegunde, Executive Director, Corporate Services, the entire NDDC management team; captains of industry; ICAN Chairmen; members of SWAN; and the distinguished lady entrepreneurs.

Read also: NDDC’s skills training scheme unleashes 300 Niger Delta youths for oil industry jobs

Ekaba’s report said the workshop, held at the NDDC Event Centre, Port Harcourt from 22nd–25th September 2025, was attended by 180 Niger Delta Women Entrepreneurs, 20 SWAN members (including facilitators and organizers), NDDC Directors and 11 CID staff daily for quality assurance. “It was declared open by Ogbuku, (MD, NDDC), represented by Antai (ED Projects).

“In their opening addresses, Ogbuku, Ehiorobo Friday (Director, CID), and Isioma Onwo (Chairperson, SWAN) emphasized the importance of financial literacy and capacity building for women entrepreneurs, affirming that empowering women translates to empowering families and the wider nation. Participants were urged to take the training seriously for business growth and sustainability.”

On the technical papers, Ekaba reported thus: “Seven technical sessions were held during the training. Paper one was: Introduction to Bank and Social Media Account Opening by Franca Ikhinwmin. Bank and social media accounts are vital for SME growth, providing credibility and market access. Participants were introduced to Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram, and X, and guided on leveraging these platforms to promote their businesses.

“Paper two was on Introduction to Bookkeeping by the 29th Chairman of ICAN Port Harcourt & District, Helen Irobuisi. Bookkeeping involves systematic daily recording of financial transactions, including tracking income, expenses, and filing source documents. Participants were advised to open key books of accounts (Cash Book, Sales Book, Purchase Book, Stock Register, etc), pay themselves salaries, and separate personal finances from business finances.

“Paper three was on Tax Awareness. Anchored by the Pioneer Chairman of ICAN Obio Akpor & District, Chioma Ojukwu.

Nigeria’s tax system and the 2025 Tax Act reforms were explained, highlighting new exemptions, levies, VAT changes, and mandatory e-invoicing. Participants were urged to record all business expenses for tax deductions, seek professional tax advice, and consider upgrading from enterprise to limited liability company.”

The report went on to state how Paper four reviewed Record Keeping and Filing by Eme Akpa. “Effective record keeping requires tools such as cloud storage, scanning apps, backups, and organized physical files. Participants were cautioned against poor practices such as reliance on memory, scattered files, and lack of proper backups.

“Paper 5 – Introducing Accounting Applications: Excel and Quick Books by Victoria Adele. Participants were introduced to Excel and QuickBooks for bookkeeping, financial reporting, and preparation of statements. Both tools were emphasized as critical for improving speed, accuracy, and automation, while reducing manual errors.”

On Paper six, “Internal Controls was by Peace Wills. Internal controls, including segregation of duties, reconciliations, and safeguarding assets, are crucial for protecting resources, preventing fraud, and building trust. Participants were urged to adopt tools such as vouchers, approval limits, and receipts, and to avoid mixing personal and business finances, with the reminder: What you don’t control will control you.’”

Her report said Paper seven dealt with Financial Literacy by Olabisi Bamisile. “Financial planning emphasized budgeting, saving, building emergency funds, avoiding debt traps, and teaching financial values. Participants were introduced to a few investment platforms, cooperative savings, and insurance for wealth creation and long-term resilience.

“Finally, Fidelity Bank Plc also encouraged the women entrepreneurs to take advantage of various packages geared towards supporting their businesses such as the “FUNDHER” package.”

Giving insight into the essence of the training, Onwo, the SWAN chairperson, said: “Through our research, we found out that a lot of small and medium sized businesses fail just because of lack of proper record keeping. SWAN PH thought it wise that women entrepreneurs be trained so they can do business more professionally and profitably. For instance, a lot of the participants told us they did not even know they were supposed to keep their personal finances separate from their business finances.”