Women’s Economic Empowerment & Inclusive Enterprise

Building Businesses, Confidence, and Economic Power for Women with Disabilities

For many women with disabilities, entrepreneurship is not just a pathway to income — it is a pathway to dignity, independence, visibility, and choice. Yet too often, women with disabilities face overlapping barriers that make it harder to start, sustain, or grow a business. These include limited access to business training, finance, assistive support, accessible learning opportunities, markets, mentorship, and public recognition of their skills and economic contribution.

Empower Her Ability is Empower To Thrive Development Initiative’s disability-inclusive women’s economic empowerment programme. It was designed to support women with disabilities to strengthen their businesses, increase income, build confidence, and participate more fully in economic life. Supported by the French Embassy in Nigeria through the FEF-OSC programme, the initiative combines practical entrepreneurship training, mentorship, starter capital, accessibility support, public awareness, and policy engagement.

The programme goes beyond one-off training. It supports women to understand their businesses more clearly, improve record keeping, develop business plans, identify customers, manage money, strengthen marketing, and make more informed decisions about growth. Through a 7-week virtual entrepreneurship programme, a 6-day physical bootcamp, six months of mentorship, and ₦100,000 starter packs, participants received both knowledge and practical support to move their businesses forward.

Across the wider programme, more than 65 women with disabilities received entrepreneurship capacity building, with 25 women receiving a more intensive package of training, mentorship, business support, accessibility support, and starter capital. Measured results showed strong improvements among programme participants: average income increased from ₦69,478 to ₦135,841, representing a 96% increase; average profit rose from ₦24,840 to ₦47,160, a 90% increase; and average sales increased from ₦54,200 to ₦97,285, a 79% increase.

Behind these numbers are real women building real businesses. Read some of the testimonials from our fellows here. For some, the programme provided the structure they needed to separate personal and business finances, keep proper records, increase stock, and understand whether their business was growing. For others, it helped them reposition their services, identify target customers, and approach the market with greater confidence. Participants reported stronger self-esteem, better financial discipline, improved business planning, clearer customer acquisition strategies, and renewed belief in their ability to sustain and expand their enterprises. Listen to their stories on our YouTube channel. 

Empower Her Ability also recognizes that women’s economic empowerment cannot be separated from the systems around them. The programme included policy dialogues that brought together government, disability stakeholders, and other actors to examine barriers to women’s economic participation and advance the inclusion of women with disabilities. Media and public-awareness activities also helped amplify the voices, capabilities, and contributions of women with disabilities, challenging stereotypes and promoting more inclusive attitudes, policies, and opportunities.

At its heart, Empower Her Ability is about changing what is possible. It supports women with disabilities not as passive beneficiaries, but as entrepreneurs, leaders, problem-solvers, service providers, traders, innovators, and contributors to their families and communities. By combining business skills, mentorship, financial support, advocacy, and visibility, the programme helps women move from survival and uncertainty toward confidence, structure, income growth, and economic agency.