March to 1 Billion: Closing The Gender Gap Through Financial Literacy, Inclusion 

 
Mary Nnah

 
 
Herconomy, Nigeria’s first fintech company for women, launched a global campaign called “March to 1 Billion” in line with the 2024 UN International Women’s Day.

The campaign aims to empower women by breaking down financial barriers and promoting gender equality, resilience, and empowerment.
The launch of the campaign included a walk from Eko Atlantic to Muri Okunola in Victoria Island, Lagos.

Herconomy is dedicated to empowering female entrepreneurs and professionals through financial services, capacity building, community-building, and opportunities. The company believes that promoting gender equality is urgent and essential in the face of complex socio-economic and financial challenges. Gender equality is key to combating inequality and addressing the disproportionate impact of crises on women, who often have limited access to resources and investment.
The “March to 1 Billion” campaign aims to promote gender equality by amplifying the voices and contributions of women across different spheres. Herconomy recognises the link between gender equality and women’s economic power and will raise awareness about financial literacy while promoting savings among individuals worldwide.

The campaign is proudly supported by the UK Nigeria Tech Hub, the UK Department of Business and Trade, and the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office, Department of the Government of the United Kingdom.

During the walk, Ife Durosinmi-Etti, the founder of Herconomy and convener of the March to 1 Billion, highlighted the urgent need to address the growing financial gap in the Nigerian economy.

‘The majority of the population struggles financially, and only about five per cent of Nigerians have over 500,000 naira in their bank accounts. Therefore, it is crucial to promote financial literacy and inclusion”, she said.

Shedding light on the newly launched Herconomy savings challenge, she said: “The ‘March to a Billion’ savings challenge is an initiative designed to urge us all to save one billion naira collectively for three months, beginning from March.

“At the end of this challenge, we will do a draw where we will double somebody’s savings with a cap of one million naira. We have done this several times in the past.

“With this campaign, we can rightfully say we have started addressing Nigeria’s financial gap with advocacy and will go on to organise several financial literacy advocacy programmes in schools and communities across major cities in the country.”

Through our “March to a Billion” campaign, Herconomy is committed to closing the gender gap through financial literacy and inclusion.
The newly-launched Herconomy savings challenge is an initiative designed to urge people to save one billion naira collectively for three months, starting from March, with a draw at the end of the challenge where someone’s savings will be doubled with a cap of one million naira.

The savings challenge is happening live on the Herconomy app and is championed by popular celebrity Toke Makinwa.

Herconomy is committed to closing the gender gap through financial literacy and inclusion and will organise several financial literacy advocacy programmes in schools and communities across major cities in Nigeria.

The lack of financing for women is one of the key challenges in achieving gender equality by 2030, with a staggering USD 360 billion annual deficit in spending on gender equality measures.

 Herconomy believes in the power of financial literacy and the importance of saving for a secure future. The company aims to accelerate progress towards a more inclusive and equitable world by amplifying the voices and contributions of women.