The Federal Government has urged banks and payment service providers to unlock Nigeria’s estimated $14.8 billion annual gender financing opportunity by expanding access to financial services and funding for women.
The Minister of Women Affairs and Social Development, Hajiya Imaan Sulaiman-Ibrahim, made the call on Wednesday at the Second National Gender Inclusion Conference (SheIsIncluded) 2026 in Abuja.
The conference was themed “Designing for Delivery: Financing, Systems and Scale for Women’s Economic Transformation.”
What you should know
The Federal Government is seeking greater participation from financial institutions and payment operators in closing existing gender gaps in access to finance.
The initiative focuses on improving women’s access to capital, financial services and economic opportunities, particularly as part of broader efforts to promote women’s participation in Nigeria’s economy.
The SheIsIncluded Initiative’s Aso Accord on Financial and Economic Inclusion, signed on April 25, 2024, was established as a strategic framework for addressing gaps in economic and financial inclusion.
What they are saying
Speaking at the conference, the Minister called on banks and payment operators to play a greater role in converting the identified $14.8 billion annual gender financing opportunity into actual financing for women.
She emphasised the need for financial institutions to design systems and products that can better respond to the financing needs of women and support their economic participation.
The conference brings together stakeholders around the need to strengthen financing, systems and scalable solutions that can improve women’s economic transformation and financial inclusion in Nigeria.
