Access Bank to provide offerings for female-owned businesses

Chinwendu Obienyi

Access Bank  have said that it will provide innovative offerings to foster the growth of female-owned businesses in Nigeria as well as Africa.

Delivering the keynote address during event themed ‘Think W; Build Smart and Innovate’ to mark the 2019 International Women’s Day Conference in Lagos recently, Group Managing Director, Access Bank Plc, Herbert Wigwe, noted that the International Women’s Day Conference, has been designed to educate women on how best to leverage innovations because female owned businesses hold the key to the growth and stability of any economy.

Wigwe added that women have continued to break boundaries, reinvent the status-quo and take advantage of the opportunities provided by technology and quality financial systems to make things better in the society.

According to him, “current World Bank data suggests that the elimination of all forms of discrimination against women will ensure a 40 per cent rise in the per capital productivity. This makes the issue of women’s right a global one and despite many successes of empowering women, there is still more to be achieved. It is an important time in history to forge a more gender-balanced world.

As a Bank, we are in full support of a gender-balanced society, this is why, through our Access Bank W Initiative, we educate women through our capacity building and mentorship programs, to ensure that they build and sustain brands that are globally recognised. We also have funding opportunities that are tailor-made for women and their businesses.” 

Also speaking, the British Deputy High Commissioner to Nigeria, Laure Beaufils, in a goodwill message, advocated more support of female entrepreneurs and called for solidarity amongst women to facilitate gender parity.

“It is commendable to see corporates step up to bridge the divide by providing women with platforms and education to help build successful businesses. Globally, women need to serve as support systems for one another and adopt a ‘Pull-Her-Up’ mentality, as against pulling each other down. Only then can we achieve the balance that we seek,” she said.