Yemisi Izuora 

Access Bank Plc has taken fresh initiatives which tilts toward providing financial and business skills to female entrepreneurs.

With the launch of its Womenpreneur Pitch-A-Ton 2019, a capacity building initiative by the bank, qualified women entrepreneurs would be provided with financial grants as well as mini-MBA in conjunction with the International Finance Corporation (IFC, a member of the World Bank Group) for fifty winners.

 The Womenpreneur Pitch-A-Ton is targeted at women above the age of 18 years who have been in business for at least one year.

 Speaking on the initiative, Ayona Aguele-Trimnell, Coordinator, W Initiative, Access Bank, stated that the Pitch-A-Ton is an expansion of the Womenpreneur Business Workshop, under the Bank’s women proposition, the W Initiative.

 She said, “In line with our value proposition as the No. 1 Bank of Choice for women in Nigeria, we are happy to announce the launch of the Womenpreneur Pitch-A-Ton 2019 which will provide up to N10 million financial grant and a unique capacity building program aimed at empowering women entrepreneurs.”

“The Pitch-A-Ton is designed as a 3-month programme incorporating pitching sessions and 3 weeks of mini-MBA training in collaboration with the IFC.

“Access Bank has been a leading advocate for women’s economic empowerment in Nigeria and this is the key motivation for the W Initiative which caters to the women economy particularly in the areas of capacity building and creating networking opportunities for women” she added.

 Explaining the mechanics for participation, Ada Udechukwu, Head, Women Banking said: “Interested persons who meet the criteria are required to fill an online application. The five hundred candidates selected from this pool will then send in a sixty seconds video pitch which will be screened by a credible panel of business experts to select fifty finalists.”

 She added: “As part of the graduation requirements, the fifty finalists will pitch their businesses, infusing learnings from the mini-MBA and will stand an opportunity to win financial grants up to N5 million.

 As a leading commercial bank in Nigeria, Access Bank has made significant investments aimed at enhancing growth in the Small and Medium-size  Enterprise sector. The Bank is also a major advocate for women in business through innovative offerings like the W Power Loan, a discounted financing at 15 per cent interest per annum, for women to grow their business as well as other Business Support Services.

 The Womenpreneur Pitch-A-Ton is the first women-in-business support initiative of its kind in the industry. Please click HERE to know more.