Wema Bank CEO Reaffirms Commitment to Gender Inclusion

• Wema Bank CEO Moruf Oseni made the commitment to gender inclusion
• He emphasized the importance of empowering women towards the growth and development of the country
• He made the remarks during a program to celebrate the 2026 International Women’s Day

Moruf Oseni, who is the Managing Director and CEO of Wema Bank, reiterated the bank’s commitment to gender inclusion, stating that empowering women was key to economic growth and development.

This was made known by him during the Programme organized by the bank to mark the 2026 International Women’s Day celebration.

The title of this Programme which was called “Give To Gain”, brought together participants that took part in discussions on “When Women Gain We Grow”, and the need to invest in the empowerment of women, as well as how gender inequality issues in Nigeria could be addressed.

The event took place in Lagos and featured various high-profile guests, including government officials, professionals, development agencies and entertainment figures.

In attendance were the First Lady of Lagos State, Dr. Ibijoke Sanwo-Olu; actress Funke Akindele; singer Waje; dancer Kaffy; drummer Ara; singer Yinka Davies; UN Women Nigeria and ECOWAS Representative Ms. Beatrice Eyong; television presenter Olive Emodi; actor Daniel Etim Effiong; and others.

Moruf referenced global statistics showing that many women continue to be in severe poverty partly because there are not enough opportunities to be included in society as a whole due to gender differences in economic participation.

Furthermore, he discussed the many benefits to households, businesses, and national economies of having women participate in the economy, as well as the way that Wema Bank supports women, both as employees and as customers.

"Collectively, we are not going to progress without working together toward our mutual benefit and support - Gender equality is crucial to the future of our planet. In fact, as of 2025 and continued from 2020; 10 percent of all women will still be suffering from extreme poverty. By 2030, coupled with millions of girls being poor and more than 30 Million women and their families continuing to live in extreme poverty and household underemployment therein, this makes the possibility that we'll see over 350 million of the world's poorest women and children yet to be out of poverty."

Moruf continued, "When you make an investment in a woman's future, you are actually making an investment into the economy."

Wema Bank has been very deliberate and has supported thousands of women, both directly or indirectly, who will have an enormously positive effect upon our community, our local economy, and ultimately the world at large.

The program also included the launch of the Wema Bank Girl Child Journal, which is a journal written by 80 professionals who have contributed their writings for young girls.