Access Bank through its W initiative is supporting women entrepreneurs in the event industry to tap the industry opportunity and scale their businesses.

Abiodun Olubitan, group head of women banking at Access Bank at a recent roundtable discussion with women entrepreneurs urged event industry practitioners to scale their businesses while seizing opportunities in the sector.

“The event industry is worth $2 billion annually and we need to pay attention to it,” Olubitan said. She noted that the bank is ready to support women entrepreneurs to expand, saying that the bank wants “to associate with them, hear them and support their business to grow, faster than they would do it on their own.”

Speaking also, Gbemisola Ajibulu, team lead, W Initiative, Access Bank disclosed that the bank decided to put the event together to underscore the role of practitioners in the event industry which is primarily dominated by women and their contribution to the economy at large.

“We understand that women play a very important role in the economy generally and the events industry is also a very important sector as well and it is majorly dominated by women,” Ajibulu said.

“We are not just a bank, we also care about businesses and their growth and about women doing business and how they can be equipped both with training and loans – both financially and non-financially at whatever capacity we can help when we need to do so as a bank” she added.

Bolanle Olosunde-Jenrola, chief executive officer of Writer Corporate & Personal Brand Story Architect, trained participants on how they can leverage social media to market their products and grow their client base.

“By putting yourself out there online, you make it possible for someone who is far away and has never heard of you before to patronize your products. So that way, businesses can now scale and increase their customers base,” she explained.

“Marketing online ensures that you can have multiple customers because many people know you,” she noted.

Kemi Awe of Kiversworld Catering and Services, a participant at the event applauded Access Bank for the W initiative and supporting small business operators to scale their businesses.

“Before this event, there were several things that I didn’t know about my business that I was able to learn during the breakout session. I now understand that it is possible to have all my CAC registration done by the bank, this will make my business official and registered,” she said.

“I also enjoyed the social media training session and the tips that were shared to enable me to grow my business online. In all, it was an amazing experience,” she added.

Senator Osita Izunaso, the Chairman, Senate Committee on Capital Market, has urged the Federal Government to regulate cryptocurrency in order to offer some level of accountability and investor protection.

Izunaso made the call while briefing journalists in Abuja after the Committee’s screening of Dr Emomotimi Agama, Director-General Designate of Security and Exchange Commission (SEC) and three executive commissioners behind closed-door.

The Executive Commissioners are Frana Chukwuogor, Legal and Enforcement; Bola Ajomale, Operations, and Mrs. Samiya Usman, Corporate Services.

According to Izunaso, the issue of cryptocurrency must be regulated because Nigerians are involved in cryptocurrency trading. Izunaso said: “Since Nigerians are trading in crypto, why are we not regulating it.

Where is the money going to if we don’t regulate the activities in the crypto market. “You can’t stop them from trading in the crypto market. So because we can’t stop them, you have to regulate it.”

The lawmaker also said investing in stock exchange and capital market would help boost the Nigerian economy.

“President Bola Tinubu has told Nigerians that he is looking for N1 trillion economy. “That can only be done through stock exchange, through the capital market.

And I believe that we are going to see more of government activities in stock exchange, in capital market, in commodities exchange, in crypto.

“This is because these are the areas that will further inject money into the system because the problem we have is the problem of liquidity. “We don’t have enough money, we don’t have enough liquidity in the system.

“That is what is crushing the naira and making the naira so little when it’s competing with other currencies. “But if we develop our capital market, develop our crypto market, we will bring more liquidity into the system.

That will help to cushion all the problems we have,” he added. Also Agama said that he would accelerate the development of the capital market in a manner that will boost wealth creation, attract investments and create jobs for Nigerians.

According to him, he was appointed to change the narrative of the capital market and reposition it to the path that would boost economic growth.

He said: “We are bringing on board innovation, development. We are going to change the narrative of the Nigerian capital market. “We are going to turn it around. That is the essence of our appointment by Mr President. “With this team, we assure Nigerians that we’re going to do the best that the President has the desire to do.

“So, we should all wait to see what is going to happen. Our desire is to move this market forward. “And to help in achieving the President’s N1 trillion economy in the shortest possible time. “Yes, the President is going to be a year in office in a few days.”

African Development Bank (AfDB) has pledged its support for the 2024 Climate Action Africa Forum (CAAF24) Deal Room, taking place from June 19 to 20, 2024, at the Landmark Event Centre in Lagos, Nigeria. The Nigeria Sovereign Investment Authority, The Catalyst Fund, and the Africa Enterprise Challenge Fund are also supporters of this event.

The CAAF24 Deal Room is a platform connecting climate innovators in Africa with investors interested in supporting sustainable solutions. Climate-tech businesses focused on reducing emissions, energy, agriculture, transportation, circular economy, and building and construction are encouraged to apply.

Sonia Borrini, Communication and Knowledge Management Specialist at the African Development Bank, stated: “By facilitating connections between passionate entrepreneurs and dedicated investors, including the Bank’s strategic involvement, we can collectively unlock the immense potential of climate solutions in Africa.”

The Bank’s participation reflects its commitment to boosting investments in Africa’s green economy. It aims to galvanise a community of innovators, entrepreneurs, and investors to create applicable solutions to mitigate the challenges of climate change on the African continent.

Eligibility for the CAAF24 Deal Room includes:

• African-owned companies operating in any of the 54 African countries.
• For-profit companies between 1-5 years post-incorporation, post-minimum viable product and post-go-to-market.
• Companies that leverage digital technology in their business model.
• Female ownership is considered an added advantage.

“Through the CAAF24 Deal Room, and with the African Development Bank’s presence, we aim to bridge the critical gap between promising climate ventures and the essential resources they need to thrive,” says Grace Oluchi Mbah, Executive Director of Climate Action Africa.

The CAAF24 Deal Room will conclude with a post-event accelerator program in partnership with the Silicon Valley-based Founder Institute and IDEA Africa. This program is designed to further accelerate and enhance support for promising climate tech startups and founders.

The African Development Bank’s commitment to supporting climate action initiatives in Africa and its belief in the potential of the CAAF24 Deal Room to drive sustainable solutions remain unwavering.