Access Bank, SME.NG Launch New Initiative To Empower Women Entrepreneurs In Nigeria

Posted by Eric Ojo African News, Business News, Featured, Latest Headlines Thursday, September 9th, 2021

(AFRICAN EXAMINER) – Access Bank Plc, a multinational commercial bank has announced its partnership with SME.NG to launch a new initiative, Ebi Marketplace, an online platform to support the digitization of women-owned businesses in Nigeria.

In a statement on Wednesday, Access Bank said Ebi Marketplace, which will be Nigeria’s first all-women’s e-market place with a fusion of financial services, trading opportunities, access to advisory services, mentorship, networking and so much more, is being facilitated by its ‘W’ Initiative.

Notably, the bank’s ‘W’ Initiative is essentially a brand dedicated to inspiring, connecting, and empowering women in all categories. According to the statement, the bank’s collaboration with SME.NG is aimed at providing a one-stop-shop solution for women entrepreneurs in Nigeria.

“As an organization that sees providing female entrepreneurs with an opportunity to access easy finance, wider market, technical as well as business support to be of fundamental importance, the Bank has partnered with SME.NG to launch the Ebi Marketplace”, the statement said.

Access Bank’s Executive Director of Retail Banking Division, Victor Etuokwu said women SMEs face major challenges in the areas of funding, business networks, technical know-how and business management amongst others.

“It is therefore imperative to support the digitization of women-owned businesses in Nigeria by providing them with economic opportunities, business sustainability, and improving resilience to the negative effects of the economic downturn which would reduce the bottlenecks faced in running their businesses. To this effect, Access Bank, through the W Initiative is set to onboard 1500 female entrepreneurs on the Ebi Marketplace platform to ensure viability and resilience to economic shocks”, he added.

Similarly, the Managing Director of SME.NG, Ms. Thelma Ekiyor noted that Access Bank’s commitment to women through the ‘W’ initiative makes the bank the ideal partner for the Ebi Marketplace.

“It is believed that Access Bank’s commitment to empowering female entrepreneurs will continue to contribute immensely to the growth of SMEs in Nigeria and further impact the social and economic growth of the country”, she stressed.