Business
ECOBANK has reaffirmed its commitment to empowering women-led and women-focused businesses by providing them with the financial tools and value-added solutions needed to reach their full potential and succeed.
Tunde Dawodu, Divisional Head for FCT and the North at Ecobank Nigeria, made this statement during the launch of a six-month training programme aimed at empowering West African women traders in Abuja.
The empowerment initiative, developed in collaboration with the Economic Community of West African States, ECOWAS, seeks to provide financing, mentorship, and digital tools to help women thrive in competitive markets, scale their businesses, and expand their access to regional markets.
The participants will receive training, ongoing mentorship, and financial support after completing the program.
Dawodu praised Ecobank’s partnership with ECOWAS, emphasizing the bank’s ongoing efforts to support women entrepreneurs.
He highlighted several key initiatives, including the bank’s flagship Ellevate Programme, the Single Market Trade Hub, and other initiatives aimed at assisting women-owned businesses across Africa.
He explained, “As a Pan-African bank, we are pleased to partner with ECOWAS to support women traders. This aligns with our broader strategy to empower women-owned businesses. For example, our Ellevate Programme is designed to support women-owned and women-managed businesses across Nigeria and other African markets. Through this initiative, women gain access to financial services tailored to their needs, with special loan terms and discounts. They also benefit from networking opportunities, market access, and e-commerce solutions, alongside Ecobank’s advanced digital payments and collections platforms.”
Omar Touray, President of the ECOWAS Commission, expressed gratitude to Ecobank for its collaboration, recognizing the bank’s role in helping women traders leverage market opportunities.
In his absence, ECOWAS Commissioner for Economic Affairs and Agriculture, Massandjé Toure-Litse, delivered his message, underscoring the importance of women in the region’s economic development.
Toure-Litse highlighted ECOWAS’s ongoing efforts to promote women’s economic inclusivity, noting that the Commission’s initiatives, such as the ECOWAS Trade and Gender Action Plan, the ECOWAS Regional Strategy for Implementing AfCFTA, and the ECOWAS E-Commerce Strategy, are designed to empower women entrepreneurs and address the challenges they face.
“By equipping women with financial knowledge, facilitating access to credit, and enhancing their business skills, we are helping them scale and expand their businesses across borders,” she stated. “When women succeed, entire communities thrive, and our economies grow stronger. I encourage all participants to seize this opportunity to gain the tools needed to grow their businesses and engage in regional trade.”
This partnership between Ecobank and ECOWAS underscores both organizations’ commitment to advancing women’s economic empowerment in West Africa, supporting sustainable development, and driving regional integration.
9th November, 2024
C.E.
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