The Managing Director of Asha Microfinance Bank, Mrs Funmilola Paseda Oladoyinmbo, has urged the Federal Government to place women’s economic empowerment at the heart of its drive towards achieving a $1 trillion economy by 2030.

Oladoyinmbo, who spoke during the celebration of her first anniversary in office as the first female Managing Director of Asha Microfinance Bank, stressed that women-led Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) remain critical to sustainable economic growth and national development.

According to her, the government’s ambition to build a trillion-dollar economy can only be realised through deliberate policies that promote financial inclusion and empower women entrepreneurs, particularly those in rural and underserved areas.

“If the government is serious about hitting the $1 trillion economy target by 2030, then the MSME sector, especially women-led enterprises, must receive the attention it deserves,” she said, adding “At Asha, we have seen first-hand how empowering grassroots women through financial literacy and access to credit transforms families, builds communities, and strengthens the nation’s economy.”

The Asha MFB boss explained that the institution has continued to expand its presence in remote areas where access to formal banking remains limited, offering critical financial services to women excluded from the traditional financial system.

“We operate in locations where there are no banks, providing essential financial services to women who are often left behind,” she noted. “Many of our clients started with small loans of N20,000 and have grown into thriving business owners now managing facilities of up to N1 million.”