Union Bank Supports 98 Women Entrepreneurs Through FFF 2.0

Union Bank of Nigeria’s women-focused proposition, alpher, has partnered with Zuri Circle Network to support 98 women entrepreneurs through the Fearless Female Founders (FFF) 2.0 Accelerator Program, selected from 2,810 applications received from women-led businesses across Nigeria.

The program attracted 2,810 applications from women entrepreneurs across the country, highlighting the growing participation of women in Nigeria’s entrepreneurial ecosystem. Following a screening process that included business verification and compliance checks, 98 female founders were selected to participate in the accelerator.

The program focuses on helping women entrepreneurs to strengthen and make their businesses sustainable by enhancing their skills in business operations, financial management, competitiveness, investment readiness, and business expansion.

Key Highlights

• 98 women entrepreneurs selected for FFF 2.0 Accelerator Program
• Five women-led businesses awarded grants following final pitches
• The initiative provides women founders training, mentorship, funding access

The entrepreneurs are from different industries such as technology, manufacturing, food production, fashion, agriculture, retail and professional services. The inclusion of their participation shows the diversity of women-led businesses that are helping to drive jobs, innovation, and economic growth in Nigeria.

The program included hands-on training and mentorship, focusing on reinforcing business models and enhancing financial decision-making. The initiative also aimed to help women-owned businesses get ready to become investment-ready, access the right funding, connect with other professional networks, and grow their businesses in a sustainable way.

Five women-led businesses emerged as winners during the program’s final pitch presentation and received grants to support the development and growth of their ventures. The funding component provides participating entrepreneurs with an opportunity to translate the knowledge gained through the program into tangible business expansion.

Speaking about the initiative, Vivian Imoh-Itah, Head of Retail Banking at Union Bank, highlighted the importance of creating opportunities that support women’s personal, professional, and financial advancement.

“Through alpher, Union Bank remains committed to creating meaningful opportunities for women to thrive personally, professionally, and financially,” Vivian said.

She further emphasised the importance of giving women entrepreneurs access to the resources required to build sustainable enterprises. Vivian said that while capital is essential for long-term business success, women entrepreneurs also need knowledge, networks, business skills and financial opportunities to achieve success in their businesses.

“By investing in enterprises owned by women, we are not only empowering individual founders but also contributing to economic growth, job creation, and greater financial inclusion across Nigeria,” she added.

The program tackles one of the most significant challenges faced by many women entrepreneurs – lack of access to formal financing and business development services. It also aims to empower women to build resilient businesses and aspire to sustainable growth through training, mentorship, grants, and professional networks.

The Program highlights the growing need for women's economic empowerment and financial inclusion to create a more inclusive entrepreneurial ecosystem. It helps women entrepreneurs and entrepreneurs from women-led organisations in several industries to make them investment ready, grow their businesses, generate employment and drive economic growth.