Ecobank Nigeria has launched “Ellevate”, a gender-based proposition for women-owned businesses to reduce gender inequality in entrepreneurship and aid equal representation for women in the formal business sector. Ellevate is designed to empower women-owned and women-managed businesses in Nigeria and indeed across all our Africa, leveraging various unique financial and non-financial benefits. The Managing Director, Ecobank Nigeria, Patrick Akinwuntan, said that “The Ellevate is targeted at empowering at least 40 million women owned and women-managed businesses in the country. As a leading pan-African financial institution, the objectives of Ecobank Group include to drive financial integration and contribute to the economic development of the continent by deepening engagement with women-owned businesses”.
Ellevate promises an end-to-end partnership in which women can gain access to financial services specially tailored for them. These include loans at special terms and other mouth-watering discounts. “They will get fixed deposit investments at special premium rates, zero account maintenance fee, continuous financial education and capacity building under our AUDA-NEPAD academy and other special arrangements. They will also have access to networking and recognition under our business clubs, as well, as access to markets, leveraging our various e-commerce solutions”. He stated.
Businesses under Ellevate will have access to Ecobank’s unique digital payments and collections solutions like Omnilite for payments, Ecobank pay NQR for contactless local and cross-border collections, modern POS channels, and various lifestyle benefits including campaigns and promotions to drive their business growth and personal well-being. The Ellevate proposition is a total package addressing the broad needs of women owned and women managed businesses, and even, businesses that produce for women in Nigeria. The founder of Ruff n Tumble, Nike Ogunlesi, who was a panelist at the event, advised women business owners to avail themselves of the opportunity provided by Ecobank through Ellevate to develop their businesses. She called on women entrepreneurs to be resilient and know the role of customers, people, finance, community, and technology play in business growth.
