The Development Bank of Nigeria ( DBN) on Thursday announced it has disbursed over N272 billion to more than 518,170 women-owned businesses since its inception till date.
New Telegraph gathered that the disbursement accounts for 74% of the bank’s beneficiaries.
The DBN Managing Director/CEo, Dr. Tony Okpanachi, confirmed the amount on Thursday in Abuja as the bank’s celebration of 2025 International Women’s Day, adding that the gesture reflects DBN’s unwavering commitment to empowering female entrepreneurs across the nation.
Gender inclusion, Okpanachi said, is more than just a commitment for the bank.
“It is a strategic imperative. We do not just believe in women’s economic empowerment—we are funding it, enabling it, and scaling it. Over the years, we have taken deliberate action to ensure that more women-led businesses have access to financing and capacity-building programs”.
Speaking to the theme, “accelerate action”, Okpanachi said it’s not a call to recognize women’s invaluable contributions but a call to move beyond dialogue and take deliberate, measurable, and bold steps to bridge the gender gap in entrepreneurship, finance, and leadership.
“Women entrepreneurs play a critical role in Nigeria’s economic transformation; they are drivers of innovation, resilience, and prosperity. Across Nigeria, women-owned businesses fuel agriculture, trade, manufacturing, technology, fashion, and construction—powering over 21 different sectors of our economy.
Yet, the reality remains that female entrepreneurs face steeper challenges, such as limited access to finance, structural barriers, and fewer growth opportunities. If we truly want an inclusive and thriving economy, we must remove these barriers and accelerate their success”.
“Our targeted financing has supported female entrepreneurs in diverse sectors, including fashion, agribusiness, technology, trade, healthcare, and renewable energy, ensuring they contribute meaningfully to the economy.
“But we are not stopping here. We recognize that access to finance alone is not enough. Women entrepreneurs need more than capital, they need strategic partnerships, policy support, mentorship, and market access to thrive in an increasingly competitive world”, he said.
According to him, one of the bank’s recent milestones – Women Entrepreneurs Finance Initiative (WE-FI) Code, a landmark partnership with the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and the Bank of Industry (BOI) was aimed at enhancing women’s access to finance, capacity-building, and business networking.
The initiative, he added, underscores the bank’s commitment to creating a gender-inclusive financial ecosystem that enables women-owned businesses to thrive
