Financial sector leaders, including the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Nigerian Export and Import (NEXIM) Bank, Abba Bello; former Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Kemi Adeosun; and the former Chairperson of Access Bank, Dr. Dere Awosika, have called for access and financial inclusion for women to further strengthen Nigeria’s economic indices.

At an International Women’s Day Conference tagged For Women and Girls, held in Abuja to mark the 2025 International Women’s Month (Day), the sector leaders advocated strategies to advance access and financial inclusion for women.

CEO of NEXIM Bank, Bello, said that women and girls have strong roles to play in boosting Nigeria’s economy and must be given every opportunity to excel in various sectors.

He said, “Women and girls are at the heart of national development. When we empower women, we empower families, communities, and entire economies.

“Nigeria, with its vast human and material resources, can only achieve sustainable development when women are included in all aspects of economic growth, particularly in financial empowerment and entrepreneurship.”

Bello explained that as part of its mandate, NEXIM Bank has developed a number of products specifically targeting women, including the Women and Youth Export Fund (WAYEF), the Small and Medium Enterprises Export Fund (SMEEF), and the Women in Oil and Gas Managed Funds.

He said these products and services positively impact women in SMEs and the non-oil export value chain, providing them with affordable credit financing under acceptable terms and conditions.

On her part, Adeosun noted that with the reforms the current government is pursuing, especially around the exchange rate, there is a huge opportunity to grow exports, and women must capitalize on it.

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According to her, Nigeria’s export as a percentage of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) is actually lower, and that’s a huge opportunity to grow exports.

She added, “It might be worth having a focal person that drives exports. Nigeria’s export GDP is about 9.2, and with the rebasing, it will likely go down. If you compare that to Senegal at 23, Ghana at 30, and South Africa at 32, it shows that we are not importing too much, but rather, we are exporting too little. So, we need to look at the bottlenecks stopping us from exporting and exploit that opportunity, which is actually one of the key deliverables of the macroscopic reforms the government is pursuing.”

She called on women to explore this window and also take advantage of the Small and Micro Enterprises Development Agency’s (SMEDAN) Women in Export Development Fund to ensure that “we focus on increasing exports for women-owned businesses.”

While urging women to explore every business opportunity in their sphere of influence despite challenges, former Chairperson of Access Bank, Dr. Dere Awosika, pointed out that where there are opportunities, there will also be challenges, irrespective of gender. However, women must be willing to embrace change and commit to lifelong learning.

She said, “There are a lot of technological advancements amidst emerging global trends. Women must be willing to embrace change, commit to lifelong learning, be ready for continuous self-improvement, and stay abreast of industry changes to remain relevant in offering services.”