Represented by the Honourable Minister of Women Affairs, Hajiya Imaan Sulaiman-Ibrahim, at the commemorative event in Lagos, the First Lady praised the bank for its deliberate focus on empowering women, youth, and entrepreneurs.
In a statement by the Minister’s Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Mr. Jonathan Eze, Senator Tinubu remarked that Wema Bank’s eight decades of uninterrupted service in Nigeria’s dynamic economy is “an accomplishment worthy of high recognition.”
“What stands out is your deliberate focus on inclusion, equity, and empowerment,” she said. “Wema Bank has not only recognized the structural barriers to women’s financial inclusion but has actively built pathways to dismantle them.”
Citing the bank’s efforts to close the gender gap in formal financial access—currently at 47% for women versus 58% for men—Mrs. Tinubu emphasized that Wema Bank’s interventions are both “timely and transformational.”
Minister Sulaiman-Ibrahim reiterated her commitment under the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, which targets the economic empowerment of 10 million Nigerian women by 2027 to contribute to the $1 trillion economy vision. She commended Wema Bank for aligning with the National Gender Policy (2021–2026), adding that the bank has exemplified the translation of gender equality from “aspiration to action.”
Highlighting the MOWA–SARA Initiative—a collaboration between the Ministry of Women Affairs and Wema Bank—the Minister described the program as a game-changer, delivering vocational training, entrepreneurship support, digital inclusion, and resilience tools to over 500,000 women across rural and conflict-affected communities.
“Tonight, while we celebrate your 80th anniversary, we are also celebrating every girl who now dares to dream and every woman who has launched her business because Wema Bank stood with them,” she stated.
As Wema Bank steps into its next decade, the Minister urged the bank to scale its impact and deepen partnerships to break the remaining barriers to women’s full economic participation.