Access Bank Opens Applications for N17.5m Womenpreneur Pitch-a-ton
Access Bank has launched the application process for its Womenpreneur Pitch-a-ton program, offering N17.5 million in business grants to 10 winners. Applications opened on June 24, 2024, and will close on August 9, 2024. The program spans three months and includes an eight-week mini-MBA training, in collaboration with the International Finance Corporation (IFC).
Participants will showcase their businesses to a Pan-African jury during pitching sessions. The finalists will present their business ideas, enhanced by the mini-MBA training, for a chance to win grants and other prizes.
At the launch event in Lagos, Abiodun Olubitan, Group Head of Women Banking at Access Bank, explained that the program was created to address the knowledge gap causing many female-owned startups to fail within their first five years. The Womenpreneur program, now in its sixth year, is one of the largest business growth platforms for women in Africa, providing quality training and grants to selected winners.
Olubitan emphasized that the program aims to equip women with the knowledge needed to grow their businesses. She highlighted the positive impact of the program, noting that past participants have successfully applied their training to expand their businesses, gain international clients, and enter new markets.
Since its inception, the Womenpreneur Pitch-a-ton has produced 645 mini-MBA graduates and awarded grants to 65 winners, with additional consolation prizes for 40 participants across Nigeria and 10 other African countries.
The program is open to female entrepreneurs aged 18 to 55 who have been running their businesses for at least one year and hold at least 50% ownership or control.
For more details, visit the Access Bank website.
