Ilorin, May 15, 2026 A non-profit organisation, The TA Community, has provided digital and financial literacy training to 246 market women in selected markets across Ilorin through its Tech for Market Women (T4MW) initiative.
Speaking during an engagement session with traders in Ilorin, the project director, Tunmise Johnson, said the programme was aimed at helping women improve their financial management and adopt technology for proper business recordkeeping.
Johnson explained that more than 300 traders were reached during the outreach, while 246 women completed the training. He added that nearly 100 participants now actively use a mobile application known as She-balance to track their business activities.
According to him, the training covered practical financial education, internet basics, and the use of simple digital tools to support everyday trading operations and improve business performance.
He noted that 18 participants had advanced to become mentors who now train other market women in areas such as bookkeeping, savings, loan management, and financial planning.
Johnson further stated that participants were guided on how to determine daily savings targets needed to meet personal and business goals. He added that many of the women consistently log their income and expenses on the She-balance app throughout the week.
He described the programme as a pilot project that would later be expanded to other parts of Kwara State and eventually across the country.
A project officer supporting the initiative, Jessie Mathias-Bala, said the programme was implemented in collaboration with the MasterCard Foundation and Digital Opportunity Trust to help market women better organise and monitor their businesses.
He explained that improved financial tracking would strengthen business growth opportunities and make it easier for traders to access grants and other forms of financial support.
Mathias-Bala also highlighted partnerships involving government institutions, private organisations, and financial service providers, noting that some loans were being offered at low interest rates of about three percent.
Kwara State Commissioner for Women Affairs, Afolashade Opeyemi, praised the initiative, describing women as major contributors to the state’s economy through agriculture and small-scale enterprises.
She stressed that empowering women economically would help create jobs, reduce poverty, and promote community development.
The Iyaloja-General of Kwara, Hajia Muyibat AbdulRaheem, also lauded the organisers and encouraged beneficiaries to apply the knowledge gained from the programme to improve their businesses.
In a virtual address, Gloria Onolemhemhen, Chief Executive Officer of Innovation Champion, said the initiative was created to address economic challenges while promoting financial inclusion among women in informal trade. She called for stronger collaboration between government agencies and other stakeholders to sustain similar programmes.
The T4MW initiative focuses on equipping women in the informal sector with digital skills, financial knowledge, and vocational support aimed at improving business sustainability and economic resilience.