WEMA BANK LAUNCHES MOWA-SARA ACCELERATOR PROGRAMME

... Partners with the Federal Ministry of Women Affairs to empower 500,000 women

Through its women-focused initiative, SARA by Wema, Wema Bank, Nigeria’s most innovative bank and the pioneer of Africa’s first fully digital bank, ALAT, has partnered with the Federal Ministry of Women Affairs to launch the MOWA x SARA Accelerator Programme. This initiative aims to empower 500,000 women across Nigeria with vocational and business management skills.

SARA by Wema is Wema Bank's women-focused platform established with the goal of promoting gender inclusion and equality by providing women with tailored resources, opportunities, and solutions essential for their personal and professional growth. Through SARA, Wema Bank continues to empower thousands of women across Nigeria by offering access to finance, financial support, markets, networking opportunities, affordable to free healthcare, and other benefits curated specifically for women. The newly inaugurated MOWA x SARA Accelerator Programme is a strategic partnership designed to transform the lives of women across the country.

The MOWA x SARA Accelerator Programme will run for 24 months and cover all 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory. The focus will be on two key areas: vocational skills and business management. The programme includes two days of soft skills and business management training, followed by two days of vocational training. The final day will be dedicated to an assessment and evaluation session. For vocational skills, the programme will target three main sectors: food processing, fashion design, and hairdressing. The five-day in-person training sessions will be organized into eight cohorts, with the pilot phase beginning in Anambra and expanding to Ekiti and Kano. This capacity-building and women empowerment programme aims to equip Nigerian women with the skills to generate income, become economically active, and contribute to national development, ultimately helping to bridge the gender inclusion gap.

Tunde Mabawonku, Wema Bank's Executive Director of Retail and Digital, expressed confidence in the programme’s potential for empowering women. According to her, "Nigeria's ever-evolving macroeconomic landscape calls for a highly intentional approach to providing tailored solutions and opportunities, especially for women. At Wema Bank, we understand this need