In line with its commitment to helping women achieve economic success, First Bank of Nigeria is partnering with The United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Women Empowerment (UN Women), to promote economic growth and investment in women.
Head of Sustainability Media and External Relations at FirstBank Group, Ishmail Omamagbe, revealed this in a Women Empowerment Webinar, organised by FirstBank Group and United Nations women, last Wednesday in Lagos. The event had the theme, “Invest in Women: Accelerate Progress’’.
According to Ishmail, the bank’s commitment to women’s economic empowerment has gone beyond simply offering financial products.
He said FirstBank is actively implementing programmes and initiatives that support women.
“The bank is focused on investment in education, health and economic opportunities, as catalysts for progress in areas that support our economic growth and gender equality,” Ismail said.
He named a six-point diversity and inclusion strategy of the bank as business rationale, senior leadership support, effective communication, employee engagement, accountability mechanism and progress tracking.
Ismail also stressed that diversity and inclusion remained one of the core pillars of the first bank group’s sustainability strategic focus areas alongside health, education, sustainable procurement, responsible lending and climate performance
He said that FirstBank signatory to the Women’s Empowerment Principles (WEPs), had further strengthened women’s empowerment as it relates to employees, customers and community.
These principles, he said, had been integrated into the bank’s operations and activities as core to its business philosophy.
WEPs, he said, had been implemented through various programs promoting gender equality in the workplace, supporting women entrepreneurs, and advancing women’s sustainable socioeconomic participation.
On her part, Country Representative to UN Women Nigeria and ECOWAS, Beatrice Eyong, commended FirstBank for having women hold top managerial positions in the bank.
She said, “I congratulate FirstBank and other banks, including the private sector that is showing the way in terms of giving women access to decision-making positions. Statistics show that at least 20 per cent or even 22 per cent of top managerial positions are provided for women in the private sector, especially in the banks, this is very good.”
“Until we have an equilibrium between the sexes, that is, we have 50 per cent men, and 50 per cent women benefiting, accessing, controlling, deciding, sitting on the table, we are not going to have sustainable development.”
Earlier in her keynote speech, the Chief Executive Officer of Ebonylife Media, Mo Abudu, narrated her journey to progress. She urged women to invest in themselves and take advantage of available resources to accelerate progress and achieve their goals.
She said, “You have to build yourself to be your brand ambassador; if you can’t think of it, you can’t achieve it.