Katsina Inner Wheel Development Initiative (KIWDI), in partnership with Access Bank Plc, has hosted the Women of Influence and Investment Summit in Katsina, bringing together women entrepreneurs, investors, policymakers, and development partners to advance women’s economic empowerment in the state.
The summit, themed “Where Influence Meets Investment,” focused on positioning women as key drivers of enterprise, leadership, and inclusive growth. It also highlighted the growing collaboration between Access Bank and the Katsina State Government on financial inclusion and SME development.
At the event, Governor Dikko Umaru Radda reaffirmed his administration’s commitment to women’s empowerment and announced an additional ₦500 million fund to support women-owned businesses across the state. He noted that investing in women is critical to building a productive and sustainable economy.
In her welcome address, the Founder of KIWDI, Hajiya Amina Zayyana, said the summit was designed to connect women to opportunities, training, finance, and markets, stressing that when women-led businesses grow, families and communities’ benefit.
Delivering Access Bank’s goodwill message, Nene Kunle-Ogunlusi, Group Head, Women Banking, said the Bank was proud to partner with Katsina State and KIWDI in advancing women’s economic participation.
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“At Access Bank, we are committed to moving women from potential to prosperity. Through our Women Banking proposition and the ‘W’ Initiative, we provide access to finance, capacity building, and market linkages that help women start, stabilize, and scale their businesses,” she said.
She noted that the W Initiative, launched in 2014, is Access Bank’s flagship women-focused platform, designed to meet the real needs of women entrepreneurs and professionals across Nigeria and Africa.
“Our partnership with Katsina State goes beyond banking. It is about supporting economic empowerment, SME growth, and financial inclusion, especially for women,” she added.
She noted that Access Bank was proud to participated not just as a financial institution, but as a long-term partner in women’s economic advancement across Nigeria and Africa.
“At Access Bank, we made a deliberate decision to change that, not with charity, but with strategy. Not with sympathy, but with solutions.
The W Initiative, which was launched in 2014, is Access Bank’s flagship women-focused proposition, created to respond to the real needs of women,” she said.
Nene Kunle-Ogunlusi disclosed that through the W Initiative, the Bank has disbursed over ₦314 billion in loans to women, supporting over 3.6 million female loan beneficiaries, and helping women-owned businesses start, stabilize, and scale up.
The summit was attended by representatives of federal agencies, DG Nigerian Tourism Development Authority, Dr Olayiwola Awakan, former Minister of Aviation and Pro-Chancellor of Umaru Musa Yar’adua University, Katsina, Senator Hadi Sirika; the Chief Executive Officer of KB Lamah Motors, Kabir Lamah Malumfashi; members of the Katsina State Executive Council; business leaders; women entrepreneurs; and development partners.