Access Bank partners Ministry of Women Affairs on ‘50m Women Speak Project with ECOWAS’

Access Bank, through its W Initiative, has partnered the Federal Ministry of Women Affairs on the 50 Million Women Speak Project with ECOWAS designed to empower women in business across Africa on skills required to build sustainable businesses.

The W Initiative is the home of everything Access Bank has to offer women. It is a brand dedicated to inspiring, connecting and empowering women across every stage of their lives either as women in business, women and family or young professionals.

The initiative has identified the importance of boosting one’s business while leveraging technology and digital platforms. Hence, the partnership with the Federal Ministry of Women Affairs on its 50 Million Women Speak Project with ECOWAS will boost the economic empowerment of women through the provision of a capacity building and networking platforms that will provide access to information on financial and non-financial services.

Victor Etuokwu, executive director, Retail Banking Division, said, “The world at large has gone global and in a short while, even the most basic things will require digital expertise. We have gone into this partnership to reiterate Access Bank’s focus on the women and to help them move with this digital evolution to strengthen their businesses.”

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The pioneer programme was held in Lagos on the 29th of July 2019 with more than 100 women in attendance while the subsequent trainings will cut across the six regions in Nigeria.

One of the beneficiaries of the pioneer program and CEO Nanny Academy, Amara Agbim, said, “The programme is expository and has provided me with latest information and skills on how to market my business and expand my reach across Africa.”

It is believed that Access Bank’s commitment to empower female entrepreneurs will continue to contribute immensely to the growth of SME’s in Nigeria and further impact on the social and economic growth of the nation.

Hope Moses-Ashike

Hope Moses-Ashike is an Associate Editor, Banking and Finance, with more than a decade of experience reporting on Nigeria’s financial system and broader economy. She closely tracks market movements, monetary policy decisions, company disclosures, regulatory actions, economic indicators, and global developments, and interprets what they mean for businesses, investors, policymakers, and households. Her reporting helps readers understand complex issues such as inflation trends, foreign exchange market dynamics, interest rate decisions, bank performance, and investment risks. She also covers major international events and periodically travels to Washington, D.C., to report on the World Bank/IMF Spring and Annual Meetings. Her dedication to financial journalism has earned her multiple recognitions and invitations to high-level professional development programmes. She is an alumna of the International Visitors Leadership Programme (IVLP) in the United States and holds an Advanced Financial Journalism Certificate from the Press Association Training in London, UK. Her other notable achievements include completing the Lagos Business School CMC Programme, the Bloomberg Media Africa Initiative Programme, and a Master Class in Journalism at Rhodes University in South Africa.