Banking Industry: How Wema Bank’s 4-yeaar IWD Streak Dives Inclusive Empowerment

Oluchi Chibuzor posits that Wema Bank’s four-year International Women Day streak in driving inclusive empowerment in the banking industry

“The global advocacy for gender equality is a fundamental pillar upon which our collective progress rests. As of 2025, The UN Women body reported that 10% of women live in extreme poverty, and this number has not improved since 2020. It is projected that by 2030, over 350 million women and girls could still be trapped in extreme poverty. This is not because women aren’t working. It’s a ripple effect of the gap that still exists in gender inclusion”— a thought-provoking excerpt from the riveting Welcome Address given by the MD/CEO of Wema Bank, Moruf Oseni, at the Bank’s International Women’s Day 2026 Event.

The campaign for gender equality and women inclusion is one that dates officially as far back as the mid-1800s but has taken root since time immemorial. From securing basic legal rights for women to eliminating systematic inequalities that threaten the economic and political abilities of women across the world, the movement against gender inequality has progressed over the years. However, there remain prevalent gaps that must be bridged for the goal of gender equality to be attained. This has formed the basis of several individual, institutional and global efforts towards promoting gender inclusion and women empowerment. One of such is captured in the 5^th United Nations Sustainable Development Goal (SDG), Gender Equality; a goal that cannot be achieved by the United Nations alone.

As the advocacy for gender equality has evolved, one thing has become clear—every person, institution and government must pull their weight in promoting inclusion at their respective levels. From the “little” actions like giving women’s voices a chance to be heard, to systemic actions that mandate inclusion, every individual and institution has a role to play in the advancement of the global movement for gender equality and inclusion. This is a concept that Wema Bank has fully grasped and shown intentional commitment to championing.

Over the years, Wema Bank, Nigeria’s oldest indigenous yet most innovative bank, has made significant and practical efforts towards promoting inclusion and empowering women. Two dates stand prominent in this regard—2013, when the Bank launched the Wema Women Network, its internal community for women, and 2019, when it took the impact external with the launch of its women-focused proposition, SARA by Wema. Two platforms, one goal; to provide tailored support, resources and opportunities for women, towards accelerating growth in their personal and professional lives. Through the Wema Women Network, Wema Bank built a support system for female employees of the Bank, providing mentorship opportunities, career advancement, financial support, and other resources necessary for their career and personal development. But Wema Bank did not stop at its employees alone.

With learnings from the success of the Wema Women Network, Wema Bank took the bold step of extending the impact to its external customers, launching SARA by Wema, a community designed to help women across all parts of Nigeria, from all walks of life and across diverse demographics to attain better—better opportunities for growth, better support systems, better networks, better financial strength and an all-round better life.

For the young girls transitioning into women, Wema Bank, through SARA, provides financial and non-financial support towards helping them identify their strengths and choose the right path for themselves, be it business or career. For professionally inclined women, Wema Bank provides career opportunities, capacity building, networking opportunities, financial support, leadership trainings and more. For business inclined women, Wema Bank provides 360-degree support ranging from financial support and grants to access to market, international trade opportunities, advisory services and more. What began as a proposition has over the past 7 years evolved into a full-fledged community that continues to thrive, with thousands of success stories to attest to the impact. But beyond the support and impact numbers, Wema Bank has stood out for another key thing—celebrating women at every given opportunity, especially on the annual commemoration of International Women’s Day.

WEMA BANK IWD CELEBRATION

Wema Bank has become the household name for International Women’s Day celebrations in the finance industry and arguably in Nigeria. Each year, the Bank has hosted what majority have referred to as the biggest International Women’s Day Event in the industry, a reputation well-earned in light of the Bank’s unique approach each year. Let us delve into the 4-year IWD streak that Wema Bank kickstarted in 2023.

2023: EMBRACE EQUITY

In 2023, Wema Bank set the tone for its longstanding reputation as the Bank that has consistently remained intentional in its support for women, hosting a grand event in alignment with the global IWD theme for 2023, “Embrace Equity”. With discussions on the topic of equity and achieving economic growth for women across career and business, Wema Bank’s 2023 IWD event featured many key women and men of influence across diverse industries, including Keynote speaker, Audrey Joe-Ezigbo, as well as panelists Tosin Olaseinde, Adenike Oyetunde-Lawal and Fela Durotoye, all of whom shared their experiences, perspectives and practical tips on how women can navigate male-dominated industries and break down gender stereotypes to achieve their career objectives as the global gap in inequality persists.

A major highlight was the launch of the Bank’s Big Sister Project, an initiative pioneered by the Wema Women Network to provide mentorship, training and career guidance for employees navigating the corporate world and building their careers. Speaking on the objective behind the Big Sister Project, Oluwatoyin Karieren, Chairperson of the Wema Women Network said the idea was to build a more inclusive and supportive workplace where every woman has the support she needs to maximise her potential and attain her personal and professional goals.

Wema Bank’s 2023 International Women’s Day event also marked the completion of one of the Bank’s most thoughtful gestures, the sponsorship of the first 40 beneficiaries of the Big Sister Project to a mentorship programme facilitated by renowned International Speaker and Coach, Fela Durotoye, and anchored by 10 world-class successful women coaches who have achieved success in their various fields across the corporate world. Commenting on the 6-week journey, Durotoye emphasised the importance of intentional efforts like Wema Bank’s, towards bridging the gap in gender equality, adding, “Men have an edge in the gender race after several years of women’s suppression and subjugation. Correcting the inequality requires effective measures to bridge the gap through equal access to loan, granting them rights to promotion, among others”, all of which Wema Bank has continued to champion over the years.

The event culminated in the presentation of awards to some of Wema Bank’s female customers; The Oldest Female Customer, and the Most Engaging Female Customer on the SARA by Wema community. Thus began the 4-year streak that has transformed Wema Bank’s IWD celebrations from event to industry landmark and legacy.

2024: INSPIRE INCLUSION

Deriving from the global IWD 2024 theme “Inspire Inclusion”, Wema Bank hosted a week-long celebration on the topic “EmpowHERment Through Finance”, emphasising the indispensable role of financial inclusion in empowering women and bridging the gap in gender equality.

The week-long celebration which kicked off on March 3, 2024, featured key activities including the themed financial literacy training for women MSMEs anchored by “Smart Money Woman” author, Arese Ugwu; the first-ever He For She Awards through which the Bank recognised men who have been supportive to women as a way of encouraging more men to promote inclusion in the spaces that matter; and the training of 225 female students at Lagos Anglican Girls Grammar School in a mentorship and vision board creation session by the Wema Women Network. All of these culminated in the Wema Bank International Women’s Day 2024 Conference which took place in Lagos on Friday, March 8, 2024, with industry leaders and distinguished members of the government, corporate, business and creative spheres in attendance.

Major highlights were the first-ever She Empowers Her Award which recognised 5 women who have shown a track record of inspiring inclusion over the years and the Big Sister Graduation which saw more female employees of the Bank successfully undergo mentorship trainings towards career advancement, among others.

The Wema Bank International Women’s Day 2024 Conference was widely acknowledged as the largest commemorative event across the Nigerian banking sector, featuring several distinguished women across diverse fields and industries including keynote address speaker, the first female Director-General of the World Trade Organisation, Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, who aptly recognised Wema Bank’s strides in supporting women and inspiring inclusion internally and externally; panelists Dr. Pamela Ajayi, President of the Healthcare Federation of Nigeria; The Commissioner for Transportation in Anambra State, Patricia Igwebuike; The Executive Director of MTN Foundation, Odunayo Sanya; Adenike Macaulay, the Chief Executive Officer of Wakanow; and The Lagos State Commissioner for Commerce, Trade and Investment, Folashade Ambrose-Medebem.

Others present include Nigerian Film Actress, Shaffy Bello; Nigerian Actress Bamike “BamBam” Olawunmi; Nigerian drummer, ARA, who delivered one of her best performances ever; the LOUD Choir, and the Comperes Olive Emodi and Daniel Etim Effiong.

Beyond the glitz, glam and grandeur, Wema Bank’s 2024 IWD event served to spark meaningful conversation and inspire intentional action towards empowering women on all levels, emphasising that women empowerment is a task not just for successful women but also for men and institutions.

2025: ACCELERATE ACTION

As the Bank’s 80^th anniversary celebration took shape and remained on headlines across Nigeria, Wema Bank, once again, showed that celebrating women was non-negotiable, hosting yet another grand event, this time at its Head Office facility in Lagos.

With a focus on impact, Wema Bank’s 2025 IWD event derived from the global IWD 2025 theme “Accelerate Action” to dissect the topic, “Harnessing Innovation & Technology to Accelerate Financial Inclusion for Women”, underscoring the need for innovative solutions to improve financial access for women and drive long-term women empowerment not just in words but in action.

Major highlights of the event include the second cohort of the Big Sister graduation ceremony, the HeForShe 2025 Awards and a thought-provoking panel session, moderated by the Compere, media personality and TV presenter Olive Emodi, featuring distinguished voices in business and social impact, such as Dr. Nneka Okekearu, Director of the Enterprise Development Centre at Pan-Atlantic University; Solape Akinpelu, CEO of HerVest; and Tochi Ginigeme, Lead Deal Matchmaking at Impact Investors Foundation.

Wema Bank’s approach to celebrating IWD in 2025 took a different approach—personal, reflective yet decisive, leaving attendees with a renewed passion for taking timely action towards the empowerment of women and the promotion of gender inclusion; setting the tone for the 2026 IWD event that would become a defining moment not just for the Bank but the industry at large.

2026: GIVE TO GAIN

Wema Bank shook the industry in 2026 with its grandest ever International Women’s Day event, one that will remain permanently etched in the memories of many for decades to come. Inspired by the global theme, “Give to Gain”, Wema Bank’s 2026 IWD focused on the topic, “When Women Gain, We Grow”, emphasising the need to invest money, time, opportunities and resources in women towards the advancement of society.

Packed with substance, the event raised thought provoking questions which were met with insightful answers, proffering lasting solutions to prevalent problems impeding the growth of women and their contributions to society. The highly anticipated event raised the bar remarkably, hosting society’s top distinguished women across diverse fields and leaving attendees in awe at the exceptional quality of discussions held. Beyond the discussions, Wema Bank’s International Women’s Day 2026 event provided real solutions and impact, convening people of influence across the private and public sector, government officials, policy makers, development partners, leaders and everyday women, to drive the needed change towards truly building a culture of giving to women.

In attendance were The First Lady of Lagos State, Dr. Ibijoke Sanwo-Olu; Director and Filmmaker Funke Akindele; The UN Women Resident Representative to Nigeria and ECOWAS, Ms. Beatrice Eyong, who joined virtually; Singer and Songwriter, Waje; Guinness World Record Holder and Transformation Architect, Dr. Kafayat “Kaffy” Shafau; Drummer, Ara; Vocalist, Yinka Davies; Television Anchor, Olive Emodi and Actor, Daniel Etim Effiong, among others.

Wema Bank’s 2026 IWD Event was marked by several major highlights, including a panel session on the topic, “When Women Gain, We Grow: Financial Inclusion as the Engine of Shared Prosperity”. Moderated by the legendary Kaffy, the panel session featured Her Majesty Olori Rebecca Obaitan (The Giwa Mata of Ososo Kingdom), Mrs. Olajumoke Akinwunmi (Co-founder of Alitheia Capital), Dr. Tewa Onasanya (CEO of Exquisite Media) and Adesunmbo Adeoye (Founder, Inspiring Change NG), all of whom provided diverse perspectives to how financial inclusion can serve as a tool for women empowerment and societal advancement.

Other major highlights of the event were the SARA Gives to Empower Her Award, the second edition of the She Empowers Her Award, which recognised and awarded N10 million in grants to 5 women with a proven track record of giving to other women through measurable initiatives; the third edition of the He For She Awards which recognised men nominated by women in their spaces for giving to women in the workplace beyond finance; and the launch of first-ever Wema Bank Girl Child Journal, a collation of contributions from 80 women professionals offering guidance and reflections for young girls.

The Wema Bank International Women’s Day 2026 Event was unarguably the industry’s biggest IWD event not just in scale but in impact and substance, a fitting addition to the Bank’s thriving streak of IWD commemorations celebrating women and championing women empowerment.

Closing Gender Gap

Over the years, a pattern has been established in Wema Bank’s approach to celebrating International Women’s Day:

1. The convening of changemakers with the power to make meaningful decisions towards the promotion of women inclusion.
2. The generation of meaningful conversations from figures of authority across diverse key fields providing useful and fact-based insights for informed decision making
3. The provision of a platform where the everyday women can network with successful women who have walked the path and can provide practical guidance
4. The decentering of women alone as drivers of inclusion, promoting a culture where men and institutions also see the role they have to play in combating gender inequality and driving inclusion.
5. The innovative approach to making each International Women’s Day celebration more special, insightful and impactful than the last.

Since its first IWD conference in 2023, Wema Bank has apparently inspired more financial and non-financial institutions to take a stand and pull their weight in the advocacy and advancement of women inclusion and gender equality for all women. The onus is on more individuals, brands and institutions to increase their efforts towards contributing to the legacy that Wema Bank has begun to build as agents of positive change and empowerment for women.

Clearly, Wema Bank’s annual commemoration of International Women’s Day is more than just a streak of events. It is a movement, a legacy in the making, and a statement that Wema Bank is truly and relentlessly committed to empowering women and promoting inclusion, not just in words, but in meaningful and strategic action.