Access Bank Plc says it is expanding its impact footprint beyond Nigeria, in strategic alliances aimed at fostering inclusion, empowerment, and dignity for African women.
Deputy Managing Director at Access Bank, Chizoma Okoli, and Group Head of Women Banking, Nene Kunle-Ogunlusi, gave the indication after a meeting with the Vice President of Ghana, Prof Jane Naana Opoku-Agyemang.
A statement by the Bank said the meeting was to explore new areas of collaboration under its flagship W Initiative.
According to the statement, at the centre of the engagement was a shared vision to ensure that every woman, regardless of background or circumstance, is given access to economic opportunities, education, and health support that can create lasting transformation.
“These are not distant dreams. They are active commitments being delivered across communities—and they represent our belief that empowerment must reach even the most overlooked,” Okoli said.
Some key initiatives being extended across borders include support for 1 million schoolgirls through menstrual hygiene interventions to reduce absenteeism and school dropouts, and empowerment programs for women in correctional centres, reaffirming the belief that dignity and second chances matter.
The initiative also targets to provide access to markets for rural women, enabling scale, visibility, and increased income for informal businesses.
The Bank assured that these efforts are rooted in tangible outcomes already achieved through the W Initiative in Nigeria and Ghana.
It noted that the Access Bank W Initiative has demonstrated measurable progress in promoting financial inclusion and wellbeing for women as over 700,000 women have been trained in business, health, and personal development via the W Academy.
The initiative has also ensured 750 per cent increase in credit access for female customers through women-focused financial products.
The Womenpreneur Pitch-A-Ton Africa platform has impacted 100 startups, mentored 50 women, and trained 172 women in Ghana alone.
It has also helped more than 10,000 women to be screened for breast and cervical cancer; and over 300 women have received corrective surgeries.
A menstrual hygiene campaign has already reached over 100,000 girls across underserved areas.
Through the Bridge-in-Agric Loan Scheme, the Bank has empowered 15,000 women and 24,000 youth across 254 underserved communities.
It noted that beyond the statistics lies a deeper message from the Bank, stating that empowerment is not an event, it is a mission, one that evolves with the needs of women, from entrepreneurs to students, mothers to mentors.
“This is what it means to build a future that includes her. We’re not just designing financial products—we are walking with women at every stage of their journey,” Kunle-Ogunlusi said.
