FG, Access Bank Ignite New Momentum for Women in Nigeria’s Creative Economy

FG, Access Bank Ignite New Momentum for Women in Nigeria’s Creative Economy

In a powerful convergence of policy, finance and advocacy, Nigeria’s push to unlock the economic potential of women took centre stage in Lagos, as the Federal Government and Access Bank Plc reinforced their commitment to empowering women as catalysts of growth within the nation’s fast-evolving creative economy.

At a landmark International Women’s Day Conference that drew over 5,000 participants both physically and virtually, the Minister of Art, Culture, Tourism and the Creative Economy, Hannatu Musawa, delivered a compelling message: Nigeria’s economic future is inseparable from the advancement of its women.

Represented by the Director-General of the Centre for Black and African Arts and Civilisation, Aisha Adamu, the minister outlined a strategic vision anchored on expanding access to finance, strengthening skills development and elevating women into leadership roles across the creative value chain.

From left:Bolanle Austen-Peters, Founder, Terrakulture , BAP Productions; Aisha Adamu Augie, Director-General, Centre for Black and African Arts and Civilization; Chizoma Okoli, Deputy Managing Director, Access Bank Plc; Dr. Obiageli Ezekwesili, former Minister of Education, Federal Republic of Nigeria; Ifeyinwa Osime, Chairman, Access Bank Plc; Tara Fela-Durotoye, Founder, House of Tara International; and Chude Jideonwo, TV host, and Media Entrepreneur , at the Access Bank International Women’s Day Conference 2026, held in Lagos recently.

She framed the challenge—and the opportunity—through three defining forces: culture, capital and courage.

“Across Nigeria, women have always been the invisible architects of our culture,” Musawa noted. “Yet, their contributions remain underrepresented and undervalued.”

That imbalance, she said, is now being confronted head-on. The Federal Government is repositioning culture from a soft asset into a structured economic sector—investing in creative hubs, enterprise support and targeted programmes designed to empower women in film, fashion, digital media and tourism.

But beyond policy ambition lies a stubborn reality: access to finance.

Despite women owning roughly 40 per cent of small and medium enterprises in Nigeria, they continue to face systemic funding barriers. “Too many ideas remain small not because they lack potential, but because they lack access to capital,” Musawa said, underscoring the urgency of unlocking inclusive financing frameworks and improving market access.

That urgency found resonance in the private sector.

Chairman of Access Bank Plc, Ifeyinwa Osime, delivered a clear message: investing in women is not philanthropy—it is smart economics.

“When we speak of giving, it is about expanding access—to finance, to markets, to knowledge and to platforms,” she said. “No economy can optimise its full potential while underinvesting in half of its population.”

Her remarks were backed by striking data. Women own nearly 39 per cent of businesses in Nigeria and drive close to 40 per cent of new enterprises, while SMEs contribute about 48 per cent to GDP and account for over 80 per cent of employment. Yet, a persistent financing gap continues to constrain productivity and growth.

Through initiatives such as the bank’s W Initiative and Womenpreneur Pitch-a-ton programme, Access Bank is attempting to close that gap—providing not just funding, but training, healthcare support and access to markets for thousands of women entrepreneurs.

Adding intellectual weight to the discourse, former Minister of Education, Oby Ezekwesili, called for a deliberate restructuring of systems that exclude women.

“There is no other way societies have transformed than when people who care make an issue a priority,” she said, arguing that inclusive development is not accidental but intentional.

Ezekwesili pointed to the untapped economic upside of gender equality, noting that agricultural output alone could rise by up to 30 per cent if women had equal access to resources as men. For her, the issue is not capacity—but constraint.

She commended Access Bank’s multi-dimensional support model, which spans finance, technology, training and market access, describing it as critical to scaling women-led enterprises. Her message to women was equally direct: invest in knowledge, build strategic partnerships and actively pursue opportunities.

“Values,” she added during a one-on-one session, “are our internal currencies.”

At the grassroots level, the bank’s commitment is already translating into tangible impact. According to Nene Kunle-Ogunlusi, Group Head of Women Banking, Access Bank, recent outreach efforts have extended to market women in Oyingbo, Lagos—offering free health services, financial literacy and business support in a model that blends empowerment with dignity.

What emerged from the conference was more than rhetoric—it was a coordinated call to action.

From government policy corridors to financial institutions and grassroots communities, a new narrative is taking shape: one where women are no longer positioned at the margins of the creative economy, but at its very core.

And as Nigeria seeks to diversify its economy and harness the full power of its creative industries, one truth is becoming increasingly clear—empowering women is not just a social imperative; it is an economic strategy whose time has come.