Access Bank has officially opened applications for the sixth season of its Womenpreneur Pitch-a-ton program, aiming to empower 120 female entrepreneurs with business grants and an International Finance Corporation (IFC) certified mini-MBA worth over N100 million.
The application window, which started on June 24, 2024, will remain open until August 9, 2024. This three-month-long initiative includes an intensive eight-week mini-MBA training program in collaboration with the IFC.
What to Expect from Womenpreneur Pitch-a-ton Season 6
Training and Development: Participants will undergo an eight-week mini-MBA program designed to enhance their business acumen.
Pitching Opportunities: Entrepreneurs will present their business ideas to a prestigious Pan-African jury, showcasing the knowledge gained from the mini-MBA.
Rewards and Recognition: The top finalists will receive financial grants and other prizes to support their business growth.
Abiodun Olubitan, Group Head of Women Banking at Access Bank, highlighted the importance of bridging the knowledge gap for female entrepreneurs.
“We found that many female-owned startups fail within the first five years due to a lack of resources and knowledge,” she stated at the launch event in Lagos. “The Womenpreneur Program was created to address this issue, providing quality training and financial support.”
She noted that this birthed the Womenpreneur Program and the program is one of the largest business growth platforms for women in Africa, explaining that the programme is a female focused campaign that seeks to provide quality trainings to business owners through an IFC certified mini-MBA as well as grants to select winners.
According to Olubitan, the main objective of the program is to help women with the requisite knowledge to grow their businesses.
“The program has been running for the past five years, this is the sixth year running and from previous seasons, we have received impressive and positive testimonials from participants about how the program has helped them improve their businesses and how they have applied the training received to grow their businesses.”
Program Impact
Since its inception, the Womenpreneur Pitch-a-ton program has:
– Supported 645 mini-MBA winners across Nigeria and 10 other African countries.
– Awarded over $175,000 in grants to 65 winners and 40 consolation prizes from 2019 to 2023.
– Helped participants gain new skills in business marketing, management, and digital technology, facilitating significant business growth and international market exposure.
She also said that;
“The impact has been enormous and has exposed the participating businesses to new and international clientele and markets, we have had participants who had opportunities to launch their businesses in the international market.
The women have learnt useful skills such as business marketing, management and digital prowess which they have applied to their businesses to experience the growth recorded.”
Entering its sixth season, the program is open to female entrepreneurs who:
– Have been in business for at least one year.
– Hold at least 50% ownership or controlling rights.
– Are between 18 and 55 years old.
To apply, visit www.womenpreneur.ng and join this transformative journey.
