Vice President Kashim Shettima has said productive enterprise, investment, innovation and the capacity of Nigerians to create value are critical to achieving the Federal Government’s ambition of building a $1 trillion economy.
Shettima stated this on Wednesday in Abuja at the Aspire Women Forum masterclass themed “From Survival to Thriving: Empowering Women and Youth for Export Readiness, Global Market Access and Prosperity under the Renewed Hope Agenda.”
According to an official statement signed by the Director, Media and Advocacy of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), Femi Babafemi, the Vice President, who was represented by the Special Assistant to the President on Humanitarian Affairs and Development Partners, Inna Binta Audu, described the transition from survival to thriving as an economic imperative and a national development priority.
He said the success of the masterclass should be measured by its impact on businesses, entrepreneurs and livelihoods rather than the number of people in attendance.
“What makes this initiative particularly valuable is its emphasis on practical knowledge. The true measure of this masterclass will not be the number of people in this hall, but the number of businesses that become stronger, the number of entrepreneurs who reach new markets and the number of livelihoods transformed by what is learnt here,” he said.
Shettima said the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu was anchored on the conviction that sustainable national prosperity must be built on productive enterprise, investment, innovation and the capacity of Nigerians to create value.
He noted that the country’s ambition to build a $1 trillion economy could not be achieved by government alone, stressing the need for an ecosystem that would enable businesses to emerge, grow, compete and contribute to national development.
The Vice President emphasised that women and young people must occupy a central place in the process, noting that their economic participation would expand productive capacity, strengthen household incomes, create employment and widen opportunities for future generations.
He added that economic inclusion must go beyond training programmes and empowerment announcements to provide access to the tools, institutions and markets required to translate skills into sustainable income.
Shettima commended the Founder and President of Aspire Women Forum, Dr. Zainab Marwa, and the institutions and partners whose collaboration made the masterclass possible.
At the event, the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd), warned aspiring exporters against allowing their businesses to be used by drug traffickers, cautioning that contaminated shipments containing illicit drugs could lead to imprisonment, damage their reputations and tarnish Nigeria’s image.
Marwa urged women and young Nigerians seeking to grow their businesses and access international markets to protect the integrity of their trade, warning that no promised payment was worth the consequences of being used by traffickers.
“Know exactly what you are shipping. Verify your partners and your transactions. Never carry a package you did not pack, and never let your goods be used for trafficking,” he warned.
He explained that a single contaminated consignment could cost an exporter their freedom and their family’s good name, while potentially closing markets that Nigerian businesses had worked hard to access.
According to him, export readiness depends on integrity, reliable products, compliance with standards, accurate documentation and dependable service.
The NDLEA chairman also cautioned participants against substance abuse, describing drug use and illicit trafficking as threats capable of undermining personal ambitions and business prospects.
“Do not let pressure, disappointment, curiosity or the desire to belong draw you into drugs. Drugs solve no business problem and end no hardship; they only multiply them,” he said.
Marwa assured individuals struggling with drug dependence that seeking help was an act of courage rather than shame. He urged them to contact the agency’s toll-free helpline, 0800 1020 3040, which operates 24 hours daily.
He said calls to the helpline were answered by trained professionals, including clinical psychologists, psychotherapists and psychiatrists, who provide assistance in English, Pidgin, Hausa, Igbo and Yoruba.
He further encouraged participants to take practical steps towards improving their businesses, including formalising their operations, strengthening record-keeping, improving digital skills and preparing their products for wider markets.
Marwa also pledged the NDLEA’s readiness to partner with Aspire Women Forum through the agency’s War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) social advocacy initiative.
Earlier, the Founder and President of Aspire Women Forum, Dr. Zainab Marwa, said many Nigerians worked long hours producing goods and providing services but earned little because of challenges such as poor record-keeping, lack of business registration, unsuitable financing, weak packaging and limited access to buyers.
She commended the Federal Government under President Tinubu for supporting enterprise and economic inclusion through the Renewed Hope Agenda, including intervention financing for small businesses through the Bank of Industry and initiatives focused on skills development and digital enterprise.
Marwa said the masterclass was designed to help participants understand how to access available opportunities and strengthen their readiness for domestic and international markets.
She disclosed that the Forum had deliberately included young men alongside women and young women, recognising that unstable income affects entire households, while reaffirming its commitment to advancing women’s economic participation.
She added that the Forum would sustain engagement with participants beyond the masterclass through a dedicated team responsible for communication, referrals, mentorship and further learning.
The Aspire Women Forum founder expressed appreciation to Vice President Shettima for the support of his office, the Director-General of the World Trade Organization, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, whose meeting with her in Geneva strengthened her resolve to pursue the initiative, and the Founder of Women in Agribusiness, Trade and Export (WATEX), Dr. Queen Onyinye Okpa, among other supporters.
