The Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of Wema Bank, Moruf Oseni, has said that empowering women helps to build families, communities, and, by extension, the economy.

 Oseni said this as the lender handed out business grants to three women at the just-concluded SheCan 6.0 Conference.

The SheCan Conference is a platform for entrepreneurship, career growth, and community. It has empowered over 26,000 women since its inception.

Wema Bank has supported SheCan’s broader efforts through mentorship programmes, vocational training, and charity fairs, impacting thousands of women nationwide via its women-focused platform, SARA by Wema.

In a statement made available to The PUNCH, Oseni noted that the bank’s focus on women-owned businesses is deliberate.

“Over the years, we have empowered thousands of entrepreneurs through access to finance, capacity development, and strategic partnerships, and we have seen firsthand how these investments change lives.

“Our focus on women-owned businesses is deliberate, because we know that when women succeed, families thrive, communities flourish, and the economy is strengthened.”

At the conference, three women entrepreneurs received a combined N2m in business grants from SARA by Wema. The recipients were Omobolaji Shittu, founder and CEO of Bolat Paints, who received the grand prize of N1m; Abisola Opeyemi of Royal Bags; and Blessed Godspower-Okitikpi, founder of Blessed Flow Cup, who each received N500,000 to grow their businesses.

Shittu, while expressing her excitement and gratitude, said, “I feel so excited; I’m happy, and I didn’t see it coming. The application process was online, but I made it through. I’m a lady in a male-dominated industry, and for Sara by Wema to believe in me and support my vision, I’m beyond grateful.”

Opeyemi also expressed her gratitude, saying, “The application was so seamless. I’m so grateful to Sara by Wema Bank for investing in women like me and believing in African businesses. We can do more, and they’ve just shown us how.”

Godspower-Okitikpi revealed what she was going to do with the grant.

“With this grant, I can push my business forward and reach more women with this product. Thank you, Sara, by Wema. Long live your impact,” Godspower-Okitikpi said.

The three women were selected from over 150 applicants through a competitive pitch process.