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By Chinelo Obogo
Managing Director of Wema Bank, Moruf Oseni, has stressed the need for inclusion and equity for women in the workplace, saying all hands must be on deck to ensure a good representation of both genders.
According to him, Wema Bank would continue to be deliberate in supporting and promoting women, saying it is extremely important for them.
Oseni, who spoke at the Wema Bank International Women’s Day programme, tagged: “Empowerment through finance,” in Lagos, said the bank earmarked N8.9 billion as loans with no collateral and also supported Nigerian businesses run by women.
“Let us talk about their (women) offerings here and why it is important to commit to these. The first thing we need to talk about is why support women? It is extremely important. I have never seen a plane that will fly on one wing. It is important to ensure there is inclusion and equality in the workplace for women. We are very deliberate in WEMA, as we make sure we recruit a good number of women.
“We make sure women are guided through their career. We also ensure we create an enabling environment for them and they are not disadvantaged against the men. But we want to show that we are not just talking about it, we want to put our words to action.
“That is why we do these kinds of programmes. This is just one of the events we do. There is a proposition we have specifically for women called Sarah for Women. And in that proposition, we have a lot of products, which includes mentoring and coaching.
“It is important that we put our money where our mouth is. Quite a number of businesses we also curate and we finance are also for women. But it is not just giving them financing, we are making sure those businesses are successful and they are able to have societal impact.”
Oseni said it is important to ensure more women are in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics, saying they should be represented in the digital space.
On her part, Chairman, Wema Bank Board of Directors, Oluwayemisi Olorunshola, said the bank’s female focused proposition, SARA has transformed many lives, providing physical, financial, intellectual and other relevant resources for their personal and professional success.
“Wema Bank recognises the indispensable role of women in shaping a prosperous society. Celebrating women aligns with the bank’s commitment to fostering an inclusive environment where women can thrive and achieve their fullest potential,” she said.
