HOW TO ACCESS FUNDS TO START OR BOOST YOUR BUSINESS BOTH LOCALLY AND INTERNATIONALLY.

HOW TO ACCESS FUNDS TO START OR BOOST YOUR BUSINESS

INTERNATIONAL FUNDS
* International NGOs and Foundations:
Bill and Melinda Gates foundation
Ford foundation
* Diplomatic Corp:
US embassy and consulate in Nigeria (Ambassador’s small grant program)
Australian High Commission (Abuja direct aid program)
* Multilateral agencies: Shell etc
* Department For International Development (DFID)
*Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA)
* World Bank
African Development Bank (ADB)
NATIONAL FUNDS (LOCAL AND FEDERAL)
* Trade or sell something that you have but don’t need.
* Personal savings (Daily or monthly, in actual bank or piggy bank)
* Ask family members, the community or public
* From wealthy individuals or celebrities
* Go to suppliers and get goods on credit (provided you can meet up with pay back time)
* Join a cooperative society
* Religious associations (that you are active in)
* Get investors to buy shares in your business
* Sell part of the business
* Government agencies and programs ie: Abuja Enterprise Agency, YouWIN connect Nigeria etc
* Local NGO’s and Foundations eg: Tony Elumelu Entrepreneurship Program (TEEP), Africa’s Young Entrepreneurs (AYEEN)  financial grants
* Write/Apply to companies
* Bank loan
I)  Bank of Industry (BOI)
II) Bank of Agric (BOA)
III) Nexim Bank
IV) Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN)
V)  Development Bank of Nigeria (DBN)
VI)  Commercial Banks
VII)  Microfinance Bank
Important note:
-You don’t pay back grants but you pay back loans.
-You need to know how to apply for grants and loans
-Before you consider embarking on a fundraising journey, you need to have answered these questions:
a)  Why you you actually need the fund?
b)  How do you intend to spend the fund?  (legal structure, business model/plan etc)
c)  How and when do you intend to pay back (if applicable)
d)  what do I have on ground (advance savings)
e)  Do I have an equity (be it landed properties or anything else)

How I became a midwife by chance but remained a midwife by choice.

Growing up as a child, we lived in Kaduna state Nigeria. When I was about 2years old, I fell sick and my mother decided to rush me to the hospital. While she was standing by the road side trying to get a taxi, I started vomiting and in the midst of the confusion, she was trying to clean me up while still praying and looking for a taxi. Few minutes later, a car pulled up beside her and asked her what the problem was and she explained: ”my only daughter is very sick and I am trying to take her to the hospital”. This angel in human form offered to take my mom and I to the hospital where I got treatment. After the incident,  this angel introduced himself as Mr Olu and that he was a nurse and worked with nestle company at the time. He kept in touch and was always sending me nestle baby food. He lost contact with my mom after a while and years later we relocated to Abuja. About 16years later my mom was at a park in where she boarded a vehicle to embark on a journey. While they were waiting for the vehicle to get filled up with passengers so that they can embark on their journey. She looked out of the window and saw a man passing by who had striking resemblance with the angel from years ago and she screamed Mr Olu and he turned around. Lo and behold, it was Mr Olu. He rushed to the vehicle and they got talking and then he asked!! How is my daughter? (of course I had become his daughter) my mom responded she is fine, she is done with secondary school and trying to get into the university. Mr Olu told my mom that He was now a lecturer at the school of nursing in Abuja but even though the school of nursing form wasn’t on sale, that he could get me the school of midwifery form which was on sale at the time. My mom accepted the offer and they exchanged numbers and she started her journey. A week later Mr Olu reached out to my mom on phone and told her that he had gotten the form. I filled the form, wrote the exam, passed the interview and got the admission into school of midwifery. I studied hard and graduated and that was how I became a midwife. I got a job and started working as a midwife helping women safely deliver their babies. The experience and joy of helping a woman bring forth a baby safely into this world is unexplainable and has fueled my passion of remaining a midwife. I have been a midwife for over 10years and have no regrets what so ever. Midwifery is a profession that I will cherish for as long as I live.