Stanbic IBTC Pension Managers has urged women to take a proactive approach to planning for their retirement.

This call was made on Friday by the Executive Director of Operations, Stanbic IBTC Pension Manager Lara Osunsoko, at a media parley to kick off the 2025 Bloom Weekend organised by the Stanbic IBTC Bank.

Bloom Weekend is a gathering dedicated to accelerating women’s leadership, financial independence, and entrepreneurial success.

In her opening comments, Osunsoko, who highlighted the fifth edition of the Ladies at the Table Empowerment Summit segment powered by the pension firm, said, “As part of the inspiring Bloom Weekend that is kicking off today, we launched the Ladies at the Table Empowerment Summit to create a safe space where women can lead conversations about their finances, their future and legacy. Through LATTES 1.0 to 4.0, we have listened. We have learnt. We have grown with thousands of women across the country. We have helped demystify pensions and held space for real conversations about money, ambition, motherhood and identity.

“At Stanbic IBTC Pension Managers, we believe that when you empower a woman to plan her future, you strengthen a family and impact generations. When we help you preserve your wealth as a woman, we uplift your generation. And when you give a woman a voice in financial matters, you then build a stronger society. Our broader mission really is to walk every woman through her journey to financial confidence, from her first job to her final chapter and beyond.”

Speaking further on the fears and myths that women have about pensions, Osunsoko said that financial literacy is key and is something that the firm offers to its customers.

She explained further, “What we do at Stanbic IBTC Pension is that we educate; we provide financial literacy tools and also products and services like, you know, we have our Pension Flex, otherwise previously known as the micro pension, that helps you to contribute towards your later years even if you’re in the informal sector or you are an entrepreneur. Sometimes, it’s the absence of control: ‘Where’s my money going? How is it growing? Should the pension be something I should be thinking about now?’ But the truth is the discussion or the deep thinking around pensions should start now, irrespective of whatever sector that you’re in, whether you’re in the formal sector or you’re in the informal sector or you’re an entrepreneur. That deep thinking has to start now because it helps you to then plan for your latter years.”

Also speaking at the event, the Deputy Chief Executive of Stanbic IBTC Bank, Mrs Bunmi Dayo-Olagunju, noted that with the empowerment provided by the bank, “We are seeing great improvement in the area of financial literacy. Women entrepreneurs are separating their personal funds from their businesses. They are approaching banks for funds, and SMEs are recognising the importance of strategy when at the nano level.”