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First City Monument Bank (FCMB) has partnered with Alitheia Capital to support women-led businesses through the 2026 W.O.M.A.N. Conference scheduled for September 10 and 11 in Lagos.
The two-day conference, convened by Alitheia Capital, is expected to bring together about 300 women-owned micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) in manufacturing, agribusiness, nutrition and related sectors.
The event will connect participating entrepreneurs with financial institutions, investors, policymakers, development organisations and business leaders, with a focus on improving access to finance, knowledge and markets.
FCMB is supporting the conference as its exclusive banking partner through SheVentures, its proposition for women-owned businesses.
The conference will feature expert discussions and practical sessions on financing, investment and market access, as well as governance, financial management, climate resilience, green manufacturing and energy transition.
FCMB’s Group Head of Gender and Impact Sectors, Nnenna Jacob-Ogogo, and Head of SME Asset Products, Oluremi Agboola, are among the speakers.
They are expected to guide participants on how to prepare their businesses for financing and choose funding options appropriate to their stage of growth.
Jacob-Ogogo said the partnership was aimed at helping more women entrepreneurs build businesses capable of scaling.
“Women are building businesses that create jobs, strengthen communities and contribute to Nigeria’s productive economy. Through this partnership, we want to help more women develop the structures, knowledge and connections they need to move from running viable enterprises to building businesses that can scale,” she said.
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Agboola said access to finance depended largely on the preparedness of businesses, noting that proper records, sound financial management and clear growth plans could improve their chances of securing funding.
“Access to finance begins with readiness. Businesses with reliable records, sound financial management, and clear growth plans are better positioned to secure funding,” she said.
Beyond the conference, the 2026 W.O.M.A.N. programme will include sessions across Nigeria’s six geopolitical zones, investment-readiness programmes, access-to-finance pathways and digital capacity building through Alitheia Capital’s Nzinga learning platform.
The programme is designed to build a pipeline of women-led businesses that can attract debt, equity and blended-finance investments.
It is also expected to support broader efforts to promote industrialisation, MSME development, job creation, energy transition and women’s participation in the economy.
Managing Partner of Alitheia Capital, Tokunboh Ishmael, said the programme was created to address structural barriers limiting the growth of women-owned businesses.
According to her, many of the participating businesses already have customers, revenues and growth plans, but lack adequate access to capital and other resources.
“The constraint is not ambition — it is access. W.O.M.A.N. 2026 is built to close that gap directly,” Ishmael said.
The programme is being implemented in collaboration with the Bank of Industry (BOI), Small and Medium Enterprises Development Agency of Nigeria (SMEDAN), Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN), as well as other private-sector and development partners.
