FSDH Merchant Bank, Enterprise Development Centre Empower Women in Business

FSDH Merchant Bank has launched an innovative capacity development programme for women in business.

It explained in a statement yesterday, that the FSDH-EDC Women Business Impact Programme was designed to help female entrepreneurs bridge their business skills and knowledge gap and increase the success rate of women in business.

“It is a brainchild of FSDH Women in Business Initiative (WIBI), the bank’s gender desk in partnership with the prestigious Enterprise Development Centre (EDC) of the Pan Atlantic University.

“The Women Business Impact Programme offers participants an opportunity to learn from a seasoned faculty, business leaders and mentors who have a wealth of experience and expertise in various fields.

“During the programme, participants get access to a robust curriculum and practical learning, one-on-one business advisory, business support services, access to finance, and a community of women entrepreneurs,” it stated.

Commenting on the programme, Managing Director, FSDH Merchant Bank, Bukola Smith, said “The FSDH-EDC Women Impact Programme is not just another capacity development programme. It is a movement to equip and empower women with the right skills and business knowledge required to run their business excellently and consequently contribute to the growth and development of the female economy.’’

She further reiterated FSDH’s commitment to supporting women-owned and women-led businesses.

“Empowering women-led businesses is an important part of this programme and a critical step towards achieving our goals for the FSDH Women in Business Initiative.

“We have seen that women constitute a large percentage of medium-scale businesses and by supporting them, we can create a more stable, prosperous, and sustainable future for the female economy and the wealth of Nigeria at large,” she added.

In her comments, the Gender Desk Lead, Enterprise Development Centre, Nneka  Okekearu said, “In the last two decades, EDC has led the way in creating programs that empower women and enhance their skills. We believe that helping women entrepreneurs grow their abilities and raise their voices contributes to nation building and community development.”

The Head, Women in Business Banking, FSDH Merchant Bank; Gold Nwoke, also shared her excitement towards the launch of the Women Business Impact Programme.

According to her, “The programme offers women in business an opportunity to learn, connect with other like-minded professionals and grow their businesses. This year, we have lined up a number of initiatives to help women in business achieve their goals. We believe that through the Business Impact programme and with a reputable partner like the EDC, our participants will get the required knowledge to grow their businesses.”

According to the statement, the programme offers a robust curriculum and practical learning ranging across entrepreneurship finance, business planning, operations management, marketing management, sales strategies, business leadership essentials, legal and tax, etc delivered in physical and virtual classes and an excellent learning environment.

“This initiative is open to women in business across different sectors who are interested in growing their businesses. The Women Business Impact Programme will run for a total of three months beginning from May 2023,” it added.