January, 2015
Growth & Employment in States (GEMS3)
Support Improved Business Environment
WEE
WOMEN’S ECONOMIC EMPOWERMENT
Success
Stories
women will now have the opportunity to acquire a
Certificate of Occupancy at an affordable cost.
I feel happy and blessed, thanks to GEMS3 and CAC.
women were considered eligible for allocation of land
and plots. she learnt about the importance of book
keeping and accounting. POP machines has continued
to thrill women traders in Lagos
1
Cross River
Tax For Service in Ishibori Market, Ogoja LG
& Okuku Market, Yala LG
hazard has been cleared giving way to land
for market expansion and now visible shop
expansions can be noticed at this section of
Ishibori market.
If you are visiting Ishibori market, Ogoja LG,
Cross River State for the first time you would
notice the shiny blue rooftops that now adorn Mrs Iyaji Odey a yam trader in the market
the entire market.
confirmed that they have seen the work the
LG have been doing as a result of the new
payment system and thanked GEMS3 for
A few months ago Ishibori market had
partnering with Ogoja LG. Most importantly
dilapidated stalls, the road leading to the
she and other traders said they will continue
entrance was deplorable and there was a
to support the ‘No cheating machine’ (as the
huge refuse dump behind the market but all
POS is fondly called among the female traders
that is now history. After launching the
harmonized levies by-law and the automated in Ishibori market) in paying their levies as at
when due.
payment system, it was agreed through a
series of engagements with the traders and
the LG council that with increase in revenue
the LG will in turn embark on tax for service
projects.
Barely a year after the launch the LG has kept
to their commitment and several
improvements have happened at Ishibori
market. The market stalls have been roofed;
the entrance into the market has been graded
and decongested, and the large refuse dump
that was becoming a serious environmental
Tax For Service, Ishibori Market newly built
Roofs for Market Stalls, Ogoja
Mrs Iyaji Odey thanking GEMS3
for making this possible in Ogoja LG
2
Ten kilometres away from Ogoja LG, we find
Okuku market in Yala LG which now wears a
new look. There is a newly built roundabout
with tarred adjoining roads leading up to the
market. Also, seven kilometres away from
Okuku market, new lock -up stores have been
built in Ikor Okpoma market. Mrs Evelyn
Anekwe who is a boutique owner at Okuku
market noted that business has picked up as
commuters can easily access the shops in a
place that is a transit point to the eastern part
of the country.
Okuku Market in Iyala LG wearing a new look
In Ikor Okpoma market, previous stalls were
built with sticks and bamboo with no sheds
but now new lock up shops brightly painted
in blue and white (Cross River state
colours)have been built.
Mrs Okoji Ukua trader in the market said this
development is a first of its kind in the LG as
barely a year after the tax harmonisation
project kicked off they have started to feel
the dividends of this project and urged the LG
and its partners GEMS3 to keep up the good
work.
Mrs Okoji Uku tells us that we can see for ourselves,
“all the small small money wey we dey pay to
Council, we surprise how Chairman come build
this Shop. Before one Year, we thank am well well”
Tax For Service, Ikor Okpoma Market,
Yala LG newly built Market Stalls.
3
Mrs Alice Sunday is
mobilising other women
to take part in the
SLTR project as the
benefits of having a
CofO are enormous.
Female Land owners in Cross River endorse
SLTR
Women in Edimotop and Nyangasang areas in
Calabar Municipality (LGA), Cross River State
will not forget September 17th, 2014 for a
long time. That was the day the Systematic
Land Titling Registration (SLTR) was officially
introduced to them (and those two areas are
the pilot locations for Cross Rivers State).
Mrs Alice Sunday Akpan, who is now one of
the women community mobilisers, said she
had not known the importance of having a
title document. But after learning of the
benefits of having a certificate of occupancy(C
of O) from the previous sensitization
meetings organised by GEMS3, she saw the
need to ensure that other women were
equally informed. Along with other
community mobilisers, Mrs Akpan goes round
the community informing people of the SLTR
exercise and ensuring that everyone
cooperates with the SLTR officials. Mrs Alice
Sunday is mobilising other women to take
part in the SLTR project as the benefits of
having a CofO are enormous. Like Mrs Akpan,
women in the SLTR pilot areas expressed their
desire to register their land (for those who
had already), to buy land (for those who
(those don't have already) and to grow their
enterprises and make more income.
Along with other land owners, women will
now have the opportunity to acquire a
Certificate of Occupancy at an affordable cost
and this will in turn provide security of tenure
and increase access to finance which they can
use to expand their businesses. The women
are therefore looking forward to the
ceremony where C of Os will be handed over
to the 324 female land owners who make up
17% of the total number of people who
registered their properties in wards 2 and 3
during the SLTR exercise.
The Cross River State SLTR project has the
Cross River Geographical Agency (CRGIA) as
the implementing Government agency with
technical support from GEMS3.
CROSS RIVER GEOGRAPHIC INFORMATION AGENCY
4
Kaduna
Women cross the Business Registration
hurdle
For Mrs Alheri Danlami, a member of Kakara
Women Initiative Kaduna, an invitation to
attend the first in the series of the nationwide
Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) business
registration campaigns turned out to be very
fortuitous. Mrs Danlami had gone to
represent her boss at the Kaduna event and
became the first to benefit from the
campaign. It seemed like a miracle for her to
be able to have access to CAC and start the
registration process instantly and by herself.
Narrating her experience she said: “Since
2009, I had the intention of registering my
business but I could not afford to pay. During
the meeting, I asked the CAC officers what I
needed to do to get my business registered
and how the government could be of help. I
was told that my business had to be
registered to get any assistance from the
government and the cost of registering a
business name had been reduced to N10,
750. I paid the fees that same day, CAC did a
name search, and I submitted my passport for
registration. I got my certificate three days
after the registration. I feel very happy and
blessed, thanks to GEMS3 and CAC, I have
told my friends and members of the Kakara
Women Initiative. They are very happy for me
and two of them have registered their
business names as well.”
Growth and Employment in States (GEMS3)
had collaborated with the Federal Ministry of
Industry Trade & Investment (FMITI) and
Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) to find
solutions and implement changes that make
it easier, faster and cheaper to register a
business in Nigeria.
Mrs Alheri Danlami being presented with
her certificate
A happy trader during the
market sensitisation in
Central Market Kaduna
Kogi
Taiye Awotimehin, hairdresser in her salon
Land
Security for
Oshokoshoko
Widow
Business
Development
workshop
Hairdresser aquires Business Management
Skills
Taiye Awotimehin is a hairdresser with a small
salon at the Police Barracks shopping complex
in Lokoja. She started this business in 2005
and has hopes to expand the business but she
has not been unable to save up enough
money to buy modern equipment needed for
the expansion.
In September 2014, Taiye took part in the
GEMS3 workshop for small business owners
in Lokoja. During the workshop, she learnt
about the importance of book keeping and
accounting and the best methods for stock
taking and management.
Prior to attending that workshop, Taiye had
never been to any business development
trainings or workshops and she had never
kept records or taken stock of her goods.
Taking part in this workshop helped Taiye reassess her business processes.
Thanks to the GEMS3 workshop for small
business owners, Taiye now carries out
proper book keeping and takes stock of all
hair extensions and products purchased on a
monthly basis.
Book keeping and stock taking helps Taiye
make sure she is not overspending and that
she separates actual profit from her capital.
This way she saves more money and will able
to put more money aside monthly towards
the purchase of more modern hair
equipment.
Elizabeth Johnson is a widow and a farmer
from Oshokoshoko community in the KabbaBunu LGA of Kogi State. Elizabeth is the sole
provider for her family and her dream has
always been to leave something valuable for
her children to inherit someday.
not have a lot of time to spare as she works
long hours on the farm and spends the time
she has left cooking and caring for her family.
The thought of travelling to the State capital
from her village to start the land registration
process scared her but when she found out
that the SLTR officers would be visiting her at
For many years, she saved up money from the home, she was relieved.
sale of farm produce until she had enough to
build a house in 2012.
When the SLTR officers visited her home, they
were very patient when asking her questions
At a town hall meeting organized by GEMS3
and they even allowed her son cross check
in November 2013, the State Ministry of Land the information on the form on her behalf
and GEMS3 representatives explained the
because she is unable to read. Six months
benefits and the importance of Systematic
after Elizabeth started the registration
Land Titling and Registration (SLTR) process to process, her certificate was signed and ready
the villagers. Elizabeth had never heard of
for collection.
Land Titling and Registration before the town
hall meeting but it sounded straightforward
Taking part in the SLTR scheme has made
so she decided to take part in the scheme.
Elizabeth’s dream come true because
obtaining her Certificate of Ownership adds
Being a widow and a farmer, Elizabeth does
value to her property and secures her
children’s inheritance.
7
Kano
Growing businesses from Women's Land
Rights
In Mid-June, 2014, the Systematic Land Titling
and Registration (SLTR) in Kano recorded its
greatest milestone as the first 200 SLTR
Certificates of Occupancy (C of O) were rolled
and handed out to owners by the State
Governor in an elaborate ceremony at the
Government House. The event was an even
happier moment for the 65women claimants
(given the context).
For the Kano women land owners, the next
step after getting a Certificate of Occupancy
was learning how to use it to grow their
businesses. Unlocking that was central to
their empowerment needs. In response to
that, GEMS 3 partnered with Women Micro
Finance Bank to train 50 women land owners
from Fagge LGA on the process of accessing
loans using the C of Os.
At an all -women beneficiaries’ meeting in
Fagge, Guest Speaker and Resource person,
the eloquent and humorous Hajia Talatu,
Managing Director of Kano Women Micro
Finance Bank tutored the women on how to
access bank loans and other opportunities
attached to their new land title.
Hajia Talatu proved to be a champion of the
SLTR, with her powerful rhetoric and was able
to win not only the attention of the
participants but also their hearts as most of
them asked critical questions and booked
subsequent engagements with her. Hajia
Talatu’s passion and eagerness to help the
women proved she was not only a resource
person but an inspiration and advocate for
women’s empowerment.
Hajia Talatu speaking at the meeting
But perhaps, more importantly, the women
saw her as one of their own, able and in a
position to support their aspirations. For
GEMS 3, linking the women with the Kano
Women Micro Finance Bank and a supportive
WEE champion has been win-win situation.
Katsina
A Women Economic
Empowerment workshop
in progress
Women groups engage with MDAs
ovation when, in the presence of General
Manager Markets and the Director
responsible for allocations and enforcement,
he gave directive for women to be allocated
stalls to be recovered from defaulting tenants
in the old market and for shops to be
allocated to women in the new Ultra-modern
Shopping Mall and the Dubai Market.
The Amalgamation of Women's Associations
and the Market Women's Association in
Katsina have used their engagement with
GEMS 3 to galvanize and push for greater
involvement and allocation of public goods.
During the women-only meetings with GEMS
3 in August 2014, the women had raised the
issue of their marginalization in the allocation
The Amalgamation of Women's Associations
of market stalls and houses in government
quickly followed up on the promises made by
layouts. They then decided on advocacy visits
putting the decisions in writing and
to the relevant ministries to seek redress.
submitting formal requests to the two
ministries. Now that their requests have been
With GEMS 3 support and linkages, the
formally acknowledged, they are pursuing
women visited the State Housing Authority;
similar grantees with respect to new
the Ministry of Lands and the Ministry of
developments in Funtua and Daura towns.
Commerce respectively. At both the Housing
Authority and the Ministry of Lands, the
Katsina Women groups leaders at the
women's complaints were accepted as
advocacy planning meeting
legitimate. As the women were now
considered eligible for allocation of land and
plots by the State Land Allocation Committee,
they were asked to submit applications for
plots or houses in the housing estate that is
under construction.
At the Ministry of Commerce, the Permanent
Secretary Ministry of Commerce drew loud
Lagos
Iya Oloja of Alade Market,
Princess Adiat Apena,
speaking at the POP launch
Easing women's payment of tariffs through
Point of Payment Machine
The ease of paying taxes using the Point of
Payment (POP) machines has continued to
thrill women traders in Lagos. Among the
latest group of traders to embrace the new
system introduced by the Ikeja Local
Government with GEMS 3 support is the
Alade Market Women's Association.
At the launch of Point of Payment at Ikeja Local
Government, the Iya Oloja (Head of Market
Women's' Association) of Alade Market,
Princess Adiat Apena explained the advantages
of the Point of Payment machine to market
women. She noted that the POP was majorly
for market women and they are embracing it to
ensure that they will no longer have to pay
excessive tariffs to touts in the council.
She enthused that “the idea of PoP is brilliant
and safe. It saves our time because some of us
used to go to bank to pay for the council
revenue but now we will just be in our shops
and pay with the POP”. According to the Iya
Oloja,
there are more women than men engaged in
small scale businesses in Alade Market and
their engagement with LGA officials has
sometimes been challenging. She emphasized
that the PoP system with its benefits of
transparency – knowing what to pay, how to
pay, and when to pay – “ will make life easier for
us all”.
Ikeja, which is also the capital of Lagos State, is
the fourth LGA that has been supported by
GEMS 3 in Lagos to adopt and popularize the
POP machines for revenue collection. The
systems are already in use in Ikorodu North
LCDA, Ejigbo LCDA, Ojokoro LCDA to ease
payment of taxes and revenues.
10
Lagos
educating us on the process in registering our
business, the requirements to register business
name and the benefits. I was not aware that a
lawyer was not needed to register at all.
“For many years, I have used my personal savings
account for my business. The CAC campaign
made me aware that I can open a business
account with a business registration certificate.
Since I can have a business account now, I am
hoping that I can get lucky and win a big contract
to supply hair products.
Mrs Abiodun
Cole, MD/CEO
Anncole Beauty
Salon
“Because of this campaign, a number of us doing
business in this market have submitted our CAC
forms through our representative (Iya Oloja). My
recommendation to CACis that they should have
a stand or assign a staff at the market to register
business owners, most especially petty traders.
If they can also consider further reducing the
filing charges so that more people will be
encouraged to register.”
Business woman speaks on the CAC
Registration campaign
“My name is Mrs. Abiodun Cole. I am the
MD/CEO of ANNCOLE Beauty Saloon located at
Tejuosho market in Lagos. I have been in this
market for over three years and I sell all kinds of
women's hair weave-on and cosmetics.
“When I started my business, I did my
registration with the state because I got
discouraged with what I heard from a friend who
had to pay an agent before she could register her
business name with the Corporate Affairs
Commission (CAC). The amount was too high for
me.
“In June 2014, I was invited to our women
market leader's office, Iya Oloja, when the CAC
campaign was being organized in the market. I
can say that the campaign was very effective in
BUSINESS REGISTRATION
HAS BECOME
EASIER, FASTER AND
CHEAPER
CAC has simplified business
registration procedures.
YES YOU CAN NOW REGISTER
YOUR COMPANY OR BUSINESS
NAME DIRECTLY BY YOURSELF
GEMS3 works with private and public
stakeholders at National, State and LGA
levels to build and deliver a systematic
framework that will make it easier to do
business in Nigeria and will lead to lasting
improvements in economic opportunities
for the poor, especially women
Contributors
Bello Damaisoro
Bello Sule
Mayowa Adeniran
Mathias Amgbah
Omatsola Oritsejafor
Ronke Seymour
Victoria Ndoh
Edited by:
Nkechi Nwankwo
Growth & Employment in States (GEMS3)
Support Improved Business Environment
For further information, contact:
[email protected]
Nkechi Eke Nwankwo
Lead Gender Adviser
[email protected]