Sunday, March 08, 2020 / 08.30AM / Nifemi Taiyese for WebTV / Header Image Credit: PFDN
"According
to her the empowered woman empowers women".
All
over the globe, as women celebrate their special day 2020 which focuses on the
theme "Each for Equal", the Executive Director of Proshare Foundation Mrs Alero
Awoyemi has called for a paradigm shift from competition to collaboration.
Speaking
in an interview with WebTV to mark the day Mrs Awoyemi believed that through
collaboration women will be able to tap into the immense opportunities that
guarantee a better and balanced nation.
She
described women as resilient, cautious, hardworking and focus driven which
serves as the tenets for success in business, and a ticker for identifying the
major impact they make in the economy.
Speaking
further she acknowledged the fact there is a huge gap of financial inclusion in
rural areas when it comes to women, as there are no products tailored
specifically to reach them.
She
harped on the need for Fintechs, Financial Services companies and Investment
groups to design products and services that will suit the needs of women in the
country.
Looking
at the Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises, MSMEs she called for more strategic
support for women-owned enterprises in the country, from government agencies to
financial institutions.
In terms of challenges she identified the following issues facing women in the country;
As
Nigeria enters a new decade she emphasized the need for an enabling policy
environment for female entrepreneurs, who she believed will play a critical
role in driving the nation's economy.
For
Proshare Foundation Mrs Awoyemi said it has found a huge opportunity of
enlightening women through various channels, especially at the grassroot level
to ensure they are financial included through the practical solutions the
foundation offers.
The
foundation is also taking key steps to help the 'rural woman' understand how
financial products can help them in their business, and also organizes several
advocacy programs to educate the rural woman to have a clearer understanding of
the products.
Challenging Statistics On Women Financial
Inclusion In Nigeria
Financial Segment |
Percentage
Representation |
Insurance |
1% of women in Nigeria
have insurance cover |
Informal Financial
Services |
31% rely exclusively on
Informal financial services |
Formal Financial
Services |
17% rely exclusively on
formal financial services |
Savings |
76% cannot save because
they are not financially empowered. |
Financial Inclusion |
41% of women in Nigeria
are financially excluded as at 2018. |
Source:EFINA
She
also harped on "Mentorship" which she said will play a big role in the
development and transformation of people's lives.
Mrs
Awoyemi encouraged young ladies and girls to seek women mentors they can
serving as an excellence figure they can look up to.
Proshare
Foundation, a non-governmental organization was set up to deliver basic
financial solutions through practical research to achieve growth through
financial inclusion.
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