SDG3: Access Bank ‘W’ initiative to impact 5,000 women -

Doubling down on efforts to accelerate the achievement of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 3, which focuses on good health and well-being, the Access Bank ‘W’ Initiative is seen empowering 5,000 women.

This comes as the bank is embarking on the third edition of its annual women’s Health Month programme in October 2022.

The month-long campaign seeks to significantly decrease the mortality rate from preventable diseases, educate women on health-related concerns and elevate the overall quality of healthcare available to women in Nigeria.

“In the few years we have spearheaded this initiative, the impact we have recorded has been nothing short of awe-inspiring,” commented Abiodun Olubitan, group head, ‘W’ Initiative at Access Bank plc.

“Staying true to our mantra to provide ‘more than banking’, our focus will be on providing thousands of women with accessible healthcare across eight pre-selected states of the federation. One of the objectives of the ‘W’ Initiative is to change the health narrative for many Nigerian women, especially those in underserved communities. This is what we will strive to achieve with the forthcoming health month. We have seen positive results across previous editions and we will deepen the impact this year by offering free cancer checks and educational programs, open fertility clinics, amongst others,” Olubitan added.

Leveraging its partnership with prominent healthcare outfits, such as Chronicare Diabetes Management Centre, Hephzibah Eye Care, Skipper Eye Q, Evercare Hospital, Grandville Medical and Laser, and the Fibroid Care Centre at Nordica, the ‘W’ Initiative will offer a variety of essential medical services, including free breast and cervical cancer screenings, comprehensive eye screenings, diabetes screenings as well as discounts and freebies at partnering institutions, throughout the campaign.

The ‘W’ Health Month will also feature a free webinar series hosted by renowned medical authorities who will offer vital insight into pressing healthcare conversations such as cancer, IVF, surrogacy, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, fibroids, and mental health every Thursday of the month. The themes of the webinars are built around cancer (October 6), fertility and fibroid management (October 13), chronic diseases, nutrition and weight management (October 20), and mental health (October 27).

The ‘W’ Health Month is a flagship health awareness program that began in 2019, focusing on key reproductive health issues- infertility, endometriosis, cancer, VVF, and maternal & neonatal mortality affecting women. In its 3 years, the ‘W’ Initiative has fostered access to free health talks, health walks, and free health screenings for breast and cervical cancer, eye, blood pressure, BMI, and more. So far, 393,435 women have been impacted through the health month activities with 3,811 screening beneficiaries.

The ‘W’ Initiative remains committed to promoting healthcare accessibility for women and has continually done so through the Maternal Health Service Support (MHSS) – a discounted health financing product created specifically to enable payment of medical bills for fertility treatments, natal support, and other specialised procedures making access to quality healthcare easier and convenient for women and their families.

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.