Stanbic IBTC & PAU Partner to Empower Women Entrepreneurs in Africa

• Stanbic IBTC & Pan-Africa University’s EDC held the impactful ‘Bloom weekend’ workshop
•  Bloom weekend empowered women-led startups and SMEs through finance and skills development
• The program centred on advancing women’s leadership, financial empowerment, and business growth

The Stanbic IBTC Group, in collaboration with Pan-Africa University’s Enterprise Development Centre, recently delivered an intensive weekend program ‘Bloom Weekend’ designed to strengthen the skills, knowledge, and resilience of women entrepreneurs through focused development sessions.

Jumoke Bello, Head of the Enterprises at Stanbic IBTC Bank, stated that the Bloom Weekend theme “Bloom Into More,” aims to strengthen women’s entrepreneurial capacity and offer visibility through a platform that enables them to collect, collaborate, and grow their networks.

Jumoke said: “It is for us to work together to support women; to promote women and empower women entrepreneurs and women businesses.  We use this to support, empower and celebrate women to enable them to thrive and prosper, which is the main reason we are here.”

According to Dr. Ibeko of EDC, empowering women entrepreneurs goes beyond finance; it includes training in business management, product readiness, and market access strategies, core elements necessary for sustainable business development.

Bunmi Dayo-Olagunju emphasized that the event was aimed at guiding women entrepreneurs, particularly startups and SMEs, by enhancing their financial literacy and strengthening their business capabilities for scalable success. She highlighted that without foundational structures in place, early-stage growth can become unstable. Providing the right systems has proven essential in helping women entrepreneurs maintain long-term progress.