A one-day Women Entrepreneurship Boot Camp tagged “Scale Your Creative Business” has been held in Kano, offering renewed hope for women seeking economic independence through the creative industry. The event was organised by Terra Academy for the Arts (TATFA) in partnership with the Mastercard Foundation and took place at the Northwest University City Campus, Kano, over the weekend.
The programme brought together over 100 women entrepreneurs, creatives and aspiring business owners from across Kano and neighbouring states. Participants focused on building sustainable creative enterprises, improving business skills and strengthening women’s economic resilience through shared learning and practical sessions designed for the local context.
TATFA, established in 2022, has emerged as a growing force within Nigeria’s creative ecosystem. The academy is committed to nurturing, training and sustaining talents in the creative arts while also empowering Nigerian youths with practical business and entrepreneurial skills that support long-term income generation.
Through its collaboration with the Mastercard Foundation, TATFA has continued to expand access to opportunities for women and young people who are often excluded from mainstream economic participation. The partnership targets skills development, enterprise growth and inclusion within the creative economy, especially for underserved communities.
Speaking at the event, Fatima Aliyu explained that the boot camp was organised in partnership with Bridge Connect Africa Initiative (BCAI), a Kano-based non-governmental organisation focused on social inclusion and economic empowerment. She said the partnership responded to concerns about the link between women’s economic vulnerability and gender-based violence in northern Nigeria.
Aliyu noted that many women in the region face limited access to education, finance and market opportunities. According to her, these barriers increase economic dependence and expose women to various forms of abuse. “When women are economically empowered, they are better positioned to make choices, protect themselves and contribute meaningfully to their families and communities,” she said.
She added that BCAI supported the programme to provide a safe platform for women to network, share experiences and learn directly from women who have achieved professional and entrepreneurial success. The initiative aims to inspire participants, build confidence and create mentorship pathways that can help women scale businesses beyond subsistence level.
Speaking to BusinessDay on the sidelines of the programme, Yahuza Shehu Atta, Enterprise Development Manager of TATFA in Kano, disclosed that over 100 women participated in the boot camp. He said the programme equipped participants with practical skills in business development, branding, marketing, financial management and leveraging the creative economy for income generation.
Atta said women entrepreneurs in northern Nigeria face multiple barriers that hinder growth, including limited access to startup capital and credit facilities, restrictive cultural norms, low digital literacy and weak market access. He added that insecurity and poverty further compound these challenges. He noted that the creative sector offers flexibility, home-based production and wider digital reach. “Our goal is to help women see their creative skills not just as hobbies, but as viable businesses that can grow, employ others and generate sustainable income,” Atta said. The organisers said programmes would be expanded nationwide soon.
