AWBFA to Host Women in Banking, Finance  Summit 

Mary Nnah

The African Women in Business & Finance Awards (AWBFA) 2026 is positioning itself as a direct response to longstanding gaps in recognition, inclusion, and continental collaboration for women in Africa’s financial sector, with organisers announcing plans to convene the first pan-African summit of its kind in Lagos.

Speaking at an exclusive press briefing recently in Lagos, Chief Executive Officer of The Chlo Haven Group and local strategic partners for AWBFA in Africa, Schola Andem, said the event was conceived to address the fragmentation of past initiatives that celebrated women in banking and finance only within national borders.

“I have seen all the events organising in the African continents on women banking and finance, and I found that these events were organised each time on the local side  – in Nigeria only or in Kenya. But we don’t have an event that brings all women of the continent together. So now, we have to think about organising something on a macro level,” she said.  

Andem said the inclusion of international judges was a deliberate step to address concerns about impartiality and to give the awards weight beyond any single market.  

“Most of the awards that are delivered are delivered only to women CEOs. This is to imply that women in various sectors also should be awarded,” Andem explained.

The organisers argue that visibility itself is a structural challenge, with accomplished women across 50-plus African countries often working in silos without continental platforms to amplify their impact or connect them to peers.

“It brings excellence but also amplifies visibility, inspires the next generation, and fosters jobs for women to thrive across industries,” Andem said, framing the summit as both recognition and infrastructure for networking, mentorship, and cross-border collaboration.