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Access Bank, one of Nigeria’s largest commercial banks, hosted a one-of-a-kind roundtable discussion under its transformative ‘’W’’ Initiative, focusing exclusively on empowering women in the events sector at the bank’s headquarters on Tuesday in Lagos.
This initiative underscored the bank’s commitment to fostering growth and providing tailored solutions for the ever-changing, dynamic and influential industry. The ‘’W’’ Initiative is poised to proffer customized solutions to address the emerging challenges in Nigeria’s Event Industry.
The “W” initiative, a one-stop centre for all Access Bank’s women empowerment offerings, is fully prepared to enhance the capacity of female entrepreneurs who currently dominate the events sector. As the bank goes beyond internal strategies, it engages directly with industry stakeholders to gain a profound understanding of their challenges and aspirations through a strategic roundtable discussion.
L-R: Taiwo Oderinlo, President, Rental Professionals Society of Nigeria(RPSN); Tayo Kola-daisy, Vice President, Mainland Association of Venue Owners, Lagos. (AVOLN); Chizoba Iheme, Group Head, Financial Inclusion, Access Bank; Njideka Esomeju, Group Head, Consumer Banking, Access Bank; Bunmi Adeboye, Vice President, Rentals Professional Society of Nigeria; Yewande Shoneye-Vaughan, Regional Sales Director, Retail Banking, Access bank; Abiodun Olubitan, Group Head, Women Banking, Access bank at the women in the Event sector Round Table discussion held at Access Bank head office Lagos.
The roundtable featured insightful breakout sessions, where attendees were segmented into sub-sectors such as event decorations, rentals, and event planning. Representatives from Access Bank and the W Initiative led constructive discussions, actively listening to the specific needs of each sub-segment.
Attendees voiced their challenges in scaling their businesses, including increased moratorium periods, lower interest rates, instalment payment plans for essential equipment, exhibition platforms for brand visibility, streamlined documentation processes for loan acquisition, and seamless account opening procedures.
Abiodun Olubitan, Group Head of Women Banking at Access Bank, addressed these concerns, stating:
“You hear a lot of people talk about loans and they want training and support. When they say support, everything I hear is loan and training and that already we have. However, we might not call it a name (like) ‘loan for caterers’, so maybe you’re waiting for that.
There is a big umbrella of loans which we call the W Power Loan which is available for market expansion or business expansion as the case may be. It’s available for working capital. It’s available for asset acquisition, every of those loan needs fall into this basic category.
So, already, we have something for them but then, we are now trying to bring it to their fore.”
Gbemisola Ajibulu, Team Lead for Women Banking at Access Bank, highlighted the significance of the events industry, valued at over N20 billion, and the bank’s dedication to creating fit-for-purpose products that cater to the unique needs of this burgeoning sector.
The event also provided a valuable networking opportunity for industry players. Brand Storyteller Bolanle Olosunde-Jenrola led an engaging session titled: “Optimizing Social Platforms for Brand Visibility,” equipping attendees with actionable strategies to enhance their global brand presence through social media.
Leaders from prominent industry associations, including the Rental Professional Society of Nigeria, Association of Venue Owners of Lagos, Professional Food Service Owners and Providers of Nigeria, Association of Event Vendors of Nigeria, and Association of Party Planners of Nigeria, were also in attendance.
As a highlight, Ogunmuyiwa Oyelola Sarah, an excited bride-to-be, won a wedding package that includes a fully decorated event centre, a three-tier cake, traditional Alaga service, event management and coordination, and a media team – all complimentary for her upcoming nuptials.
The roundtable discussion is one of many ‘’W’’ Initiative sessions aimed at empowering women across diverse industries and regions in Nigeria.
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