Women urged to prioritise financial literacy, collaboration to confront systemic barriers

Women must move beyond conversations and take deliberate steps toward financial independence, leadership, and collaboration, speakers said at an event hosted by VIVE Africa Network in Lagos on Saturday.

The event, themed The Emergence: Conversations That Shape Womanhood, brought together professionals across sectors to discuss practical pathways for women’s advancement in Nigeria’s evolving socio-economic landscape.

Efe Fagbeja, the founder of VIVE Africa and convener of the event, described the initiative as “a conglomeration of conversations that shape womanhood”, aimed at addressing women’s challenges through perspectives rooted in their lived realities.

“What we’re trying to do is present a unique perspective on issues that help women solve problems… by ensuring that they take into account the uniqueness of womanhood and what we bring to the table,” she said.

Beyond dialogue, she said the platform is designed to drive tangible outcomes, including community building, mentorship, and skills development. According to her, plans are underway to launch the VIVE Academy, which will provide leadership training and “actual skills that people can monetise”.

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“We’re looking at building a community… providing mentorship pipelines, training pipelines… capacity building in terms of actual tradable skills,” she added.

Also speaking, Temilola Adeyemi, a finance professional and founder of Finish Rich Africa, stressed the urgency of financial literacy for women, describing it as a critical but often overlooked tool for empowerment.

“Women need to actually go beyond just… taking care of the children… We need to start seeing women also talking about things around stocks, mutual funds, bonds, real estate, and creating legacy,” she said.

Adeyemi identified limited engagement with financial knowledge as a major barrier to wealth creation among women, urging them to be more intentional and ambitious.

“Women need to be more educated, more aware… not just going for the simple things… but things that will actually contribute to economic empowerment,” she said.

She also advised women to prioritise themselves, noting that self-investment is essential for long-term impact. “When you actually invest in yourself… then you have something to give back,” she added.

For Esohe Igbinoba, director of programmes and partnerships at BusinessFront, the conversation centred on redefining womanhood and confronting structural barriers. She described womanhood as a stage of full responsibility and agency, urging women to adopt a mindset of possibility and ambition.

“We are here to talk about the emergence of a high-agency woman… a woman who understands that the world is basically her oyster,” she said.

Igbinoba argued that gender itself remains a fundamental barrier, noting that professional systems are often not designed with women in mind.

She encouraged young women to seek mentors who embody their aspirations, describing this as “psychological permission” to pursue ambitious goals. “Find a woman that has achieved that dream… it shows you that it is possible,” she said.