Access Bank Unveils Womenprenuer Pitch- A- Ton Season 6

Access Bank Unveils Womenprenuer Pitch- A- Ton Season 6

  • Retail giant Access Bank plc has unveiled the W initiative Womenprenuer Pitch-a-ton Season 6
  • The W Initiative is aimed at inspiring, connecting and empowering women while riding on the Access Bank's vision
  • The programme provides female-owned businesses across Africa an opportunity to access finance, world-class business training as well as mentoring opportunities

Legit.ng journalist Dave Ibemere has over a decade of business journalism experience with in-depth knowledge of the Nigerian economy, stocks, and general market trends.

Access Bank has opened applications for its Womenpreneur Pitch-a-ton program, offering N17.5 million in business grants to 10 winners.

The application window, which began on June 24, 2024, will remain open until August 9, 2024.

Access Bank Womenrenueur
Access Banks to empower 10 female entrepreneurs Photo credit: Access Bank
Source: Getty Images

The Womenpreneur Pitch-a-ton program is designed for female entrepreneurs aged 18 to 55 who have been running their businesses for at least one year and hold at least 50% ownership or control rights.

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Access Bank Womenpreneur Pitch-a-ton program

This year's (2024) program, the sixth of its kind, includes an eight-week mini-MBA training course in collaboration with the International Finance Corporation (IFC).

The three-month Womenpreneur Pitch-a-ton program features pitching sessions where participants will present their businesses to a distinguished Pan-African jury.

The top finalists will integrate the knowledge gained from the mini-MBA into their pitches, competing for financial grants and other prizes.

Speaking on the programme, Abiodun Olubitan, group head of women's banking at Access Bank, said:

“This programme has been designed to create an enabling environment for female entrepreneurs to grow their businesses. Access Bank has been a leading advocate for women’s economic empowerment in Africa and this is the key motivation for the ‘W’ Initiative which caters to the women economy particularly in the areas of financing, capacity building and creating networking opportunities for women.

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“We launched the first Womenpreneur pitch-a-ton program in 2019 in line with our value proposition to be the No. 1 Bank of Choice for women in Nigeria, and we have received over 160,000 applications over the last 5 years, awarded the Mini-MBA training to 645 women and provided over $175,000 in grants across 10 African countries.”

Olubitan emphasized that the Womenpreneur Pitch-a-ton is one of Africa's largest business growth platforms for women, offering quality training and grants to selected winners.

She added:

"The main objective is to equip women with the knowledge to grow their businesses.
"Over the past five years, the program has supported 645 mini-MBA winners from six Nigerian geopolitical zones and 10 other African countries, with 65 grant winners and 40 consolation prize winners from 2019 to 2023.
"The impact has been enormous, exposing participating businesses to new international markets."
"Participants have acquired valuable skills in business marketing, management, and digital proficiency, contributing to significant business growth."

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To apply, interested persons can use this link.

Access Bank announces exciting job vacancies

Legit.ng previously reported that Access Bank also invited applications from Nigerians for its entry-level trainee programme, which gives graduates a pathway into the organization.

The entry is for three divisions of the bank, which are ERG (Enterprise Resource Group), CIBD (Corporate and Investment Banking Division), and CBD (Commercial Banking Division).

Proofreading by James Ojo Adakole, journalist and copy editor at Legit.ng.

Source: Legit.ng

Authors:
Dave Ibemere avatar

Dave Ibemere (Senior Business Editor) Dave Ibemere is a senior business editor at Legit.ng. He is a financial journalist with over a decade of experience in print and online media. He also holds a Master's degree from the University of Lagos. He is a member of the African Academy for Open-Source Investigation (AAOSI), the Nigerian Institute of Public Relations and other media think tank groups. He previously worked with The Guardian, BusinessDay, and headed the business desk at Ripples Nigeria. Email: dave.ibemere@corp.legit.ng.