-The Womenpreneur Programme Will Be Rewarding 120 Female Entrepreneurs With Business Grants And IFC-Certified Mini-MBA Worth Over N100m
In the news:
- Access Bank’s Womenpreneur Pitch-a-ton, a leading African business growth platform for women, is accepting applications for its sixth season.
- The programme, addressing knowledge gaps in female-owned startups, provides quality training through an IFC-certified mini-MBA and grants to top finalists.
- Since its inception, the programme has produced 645 mini-MBA graduates and awarded over $175,000 in grant prizes.
Access Bank has announced the opening of applications for its Womenpreneur Pitch-a-ton programme as it will be rewarding 120 female entrepreneurs with business grants and International Finance Corporation (IFC) certified mini-MBA worth over N100 million.
Access Bank said in a statement that the application process began on June 24, 2024, and will run until August 9, 2024.
The Womenpreneur Pitch-a-ton programme spans three months and includes an eight-week mini-MBA training programme conducted in collaboration with the International Finance Corporation (IFC).
Digital TimesNG gathered that during this period, participants will also have the opportunity to showcase their businesses in pitching sessions to a prestigious Pan-African jury.
The top finalists will present their business ideas, incorporating the knowledge gained from the mini-MBA program, and stand a chance to win financial grants and other consolation prizes.
Speaking at the launching of Womenpreneur Pitch-a-Ton Season 6, in Lagos, the Group Head, Women Banking of Access Bank, Abiodun Olubitan stated that “some years back, we conducted a survey on why female-owned startup businesses fail within the first five years of existence and we found out that it was due to a knowledge gap which needed to be bridged by providing resources to these women to help their businesses thrive.”
She noted that this birthed the Womenpreneur Programme which is one of the largest business growth platforms for women in Africa, explaining that the programme is a female-focused campaign that seeks to provide quality trainings to business owners through an IFC-certified mini-MBA as well as grants to select winners.
Olubitan further stated that the main objective of the programme is to help women with the requisite knowledge to grow their businesses, noting that the programme has been running for the past five years.
“This is the sixth year running and from previous seasons, we have received impressive and positive testimonials from participants about how the programme has helped them improve their businesses and how they have applied the training received to grow their businesses,” she said.
She added that the programme has produced 645 mini-MBA winners across six geo-political zones in Nigeria as well as 10 other African countries; 65 winners have received over $175,000 in grant prizes as well as 40 other consolation prizes from 2019 to 2023.
“The impact has been enormous and has exposed the participating businesses to new and international clientele and markets. We have had participants who had opportunities to launch their businesses in the international market.
“The women have learnt useful skills such as business marketing, management and digital prowess which they have applied to their businesses to experience the growth recorded,” she disclosed.
Entering its sixth season, the Womenpreneur Pitch-a-ton programme is designed to support female entrepreneurs who have been running their businesses for at least one year, have at least 50 per cent ownership or controlling rights, and fall within the age range of 18 to 55 years.
Intending participants are advised to log on to www.womenpreneur.ng to fill out their application.