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Nigerian Women in Services Exports
by Olufemi Boyede

The clarion call for Nigerian women involvement in services exports is not a jingle to have commercial sex hawkers on the streets of Paris or Milan. It is an awakening to share with the rest of the world the best of professionalism that have been demonstrated in the Federal Ministry of Finance, National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), Nigerian Tourism Development Corporation, Oceanic Bank Plc., etc., to mention just a few.

There are many of the like of Ngozi Iwela, Dora Akunyili, Omotayo Omotosho and Cecelia Ibru that have proven their stewardship in their respective industries. Only a few of these Nigerian mentor s-of -stewardship that have both national and international recognition, which does not in any way undermine their indispensability to the development of the country. Against this backdrop, we are making a clarion call for businesses owned by women or with women principals to go into exporting.

There are numerous firms owned or managed by women in the services sector in Nigeria, however there is a dispensable visible growth of women serving as principals in firms providing telecommunication and construction services in the country. Generally, Nigerian women are known to be more active in endeavours such as nursing, marketing, retailing, secretariat services and subsistence crops production.

For better perception of what is being discussed, there is need for concepts definition.

International Trade, simply put, is the exchange of goods and services among people and enterprises across national confines. It involves transactions in both tangible and intangible products. Traditionally, trade had been concentrated on exchange of goods, which were either non-existent or exorbitant in the importing country. However, globalisation has extinct concentration on exchange of goods, today trade in goods is dependent on the availability of trade services. China and India are countries that easily come to mind when business outsourcing, an aspect of services exports, is mentioned. 

A service export is a service offered to a non-resident customer, regardless of where the service is provided. It is intangible, and only created when delivered. According to World Trade Organisation (WTO) GATS, service is any service in any sector except services supplied in the exercise of government authority, which are neither on a commercial basis nor in competition with one or more service suppliers. Examples are accounting, legal, banking, insurance and travel services.

Services can be exported through the following modes:

         from provider’s country to customers across a border;

         to foreign visitor in provider’s own country;

         by setting up commercial presence abroad; and

         by traveling to a foreign country to deliver the service.

To have more successful women service exporters the following should be ensured:

         There should be publications of successes and innovations of women-owned service firms to motivate other women with exportable services and to also motivate young girls. Career fairs at secondary schools and mentorship programmes are recommended to facilitate wide grass roots campaigns.

         There should be regular networking of events with foreign companies and embassies. The Nigerian Investment Promotion Commission and other organisation should also promote the potential of women-owned firms in their literature and database. All these would play an important role in supporting women service exporters and developing international contacts and trade. 

         There should be an association specifically established for membership drive and awareness campaigns of women-owned firms in Nigeria. The association will provide practical networking solutions to their members by liaising with regional and global associations that could help women entrepreneurs in building referral networks. It is crucial that women are integrated into the mainstream of development issues and chambers of commerce, professional networks and associations, which they already belong to.

         In view of typical obstacles which are prerequisites for banks’ funds, such as tangible assets and guarantees from their husbands, successful women should come together to float banks and other financial institutions that would provide easy access to cheap sources of funds for women-owned projects and services.

         There should be skills acquisition programmes on export, distinct from business management and marketing training, which are relevant but critically different. There should also be deliberate effort at equipping staff with excellent skills in communication, problem-solving, decision-making and customer service.

         For a service to be attractive to a foreign customer, it needs to be globally competitive, of excellent service quality, availability, responsiveness and accuracy.

Not too many women-owned businesses are ISO 9000 compliant, there should be credible award programmes appreciating women’s service excellence, creativity and innovation, based on very strict criteria for quality and excellence.

         The government gesture of women presence in high-level national appointments should be strengthened and made into a standing policy instrument through an act of the parliament. The Ministry of women’s Affairs and Youth Development should conduct systematic research on women in the services sector to provide an authentic diagnosis of needs and how the needs could be met.

© Copyright Koinonia Ventures Limited, 2006