To promote gender equality and economic empowerment, Wema Bank has partnered with the Federal Ministry of Women Affairs to launch the MOWA-SARA Accelerator Programme.

The initiative aims to equip 500,000 women across Nigeria with vital vocational and business management skills.

This was disclosed at a Memorandum of Understanding signing ceremony at the ministry’s office in Abuja.

The 24-month programme is designed to bridge the gender inclusion gap by providing women with access to finance, market, networking opportunities, and healthcare.

According to Wema Bank’s Executive Director of Retail and Digital, Tunde Mabawonku,: “Nigeria’s ever-evolving macroeconomic landscape calls for an acutely intentional approach to providing tailored solutions and opportunities to empower our people, especially women.”

Mabawonku emphasised the programme’s potential to empower women to thrive in Nigeria’s challenging economic landscape.

“I encourage every woman out there who is willing to learn a skill with potential for income generation to register for the MOWA x SARA Accelerator Programme.”

He added that the MOWA-SARA Accelerator Programme will cover 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory, focusing on vocational skills such as food processing, fashion designing, and hairdressing, as well as business management skills.

The Minister for Women Affairs, Uju Kennedy-Ohanenye, stressed the importance of empowering women to address prevalent challenges faced due to gender inequality.

“I believe that if we empower women and they start making money, a lot of challenges will be averted.

This partnership extends beyond the Federal Ministry of Women Affairs to Nigerian women, and our goal is to ensure sustainability of women empowerment initiatives.”