Sterling Bank has reinforced its commitment to empowering women entrepreneurs through its OneWoman initiative, convening key stakeholders at the Funding Her Future Breakfast Dialogue in Lagos.
The event brought together women entrepreneurs, development finance institutions, ecosystem leaders, and business stakeholders to explore practical ways of expanding access to inclusive and sustainable financing for women-led businesses in Nigeria.
Speaking at the gathering, the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Sterling Bank, Abubakar Suleiman, said the dialogue was designed to move beyond conversations to actionable outcomes that support women entrepreneurs.
“Today is about going further. It is about turning shared belief into shared action,” he said in remarks delivered on his behalf by the Chief Growth Officer, Edward Ogunmekan.
Suleiman described the forum as a convergence of finance, enterprise, inclusion, and sustainable growth, noting that expanding access to meaningful finance for women requires scalable and commercially viable solutions.
He explained that the OneWoman initiative was built on three pillars, capital, capacity, and community, emphasising that access to finance alone is insufficient without the right support systems and networks to help women-led businesses grow and scale.
Also speaking, the Head of the OneWoman Initiative, Ezinne Nwokafor, highlighted the persistent financing gap facing women in Nigeria, noting that a large proportion remain excluded from formal credit systems.
She cited estimates by the International Finance Corporation, which put the financing gap for women-led businesses at about $42 billion annually, despite their significant contribution to the economy through micro, small, and medium enterprises.
Nwokafor revealed that in 2025 alone, the initiative disbursed N43.9 billion in loans to 2,450 female entrepreneurs, trained 6,000 women, and reached approximately 380,000 beneficiaries across different segments. She added that the programme aims to provide N500 billion in loans to one million women by 2030.
In his remarks, the Divisional Head of Commercial Banking, Akporee Idenedo, reiterated the bank’s commitment to addressing the challenges raised, stressing the importance of skills development and capacity building in fostering a sustainable ecosystem for women entrepreneurs.
The event featured panel sessions with representatives from funding institutions, women-focused organisations, and entrepreneurs, offering insights into financing opportunities and broader ecosystem support required for long-term success.
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