First City Monument Bank (FCMB) has partnered with Alitheia Capital to expand access to finance, investment and business support for women-led micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) in Nigeria.\n<\/p>\n
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The partnership is part of the 2026 W.O.M.A.N. Conference, which will hold in Lagos on September 10 and 11 and bring together about 300 women-led businesses operating across manufacturing, agribusiness, nutrition and related sectors.\n<\/p>\n
FCMB is supporting the conference as its exclusive banking partner through SheVentures, the bank\u2019s proposition for women-owned businesses. The event will connect participating entrepreneurs with financial institutions, investors, policymakers, development organisations and business leaders.\n<\/p>\n
The two-day conference will feature expert discussions and practical learning sessions focused on financing, investment and market access, while also addressing governance, financial management, climate resilience, green manufacturing and energy transition.<\/p>\n
The Group Head of Gender and Impact Sectors at FCMB, Nnenna Jacob-Ogogo, and the Head of SME Asset Products at FCMB, Oluremi Agboola, are expected to speak at the conference, where they will provide practical guidance on preparing businesses for finance and identifying funding options suitable for different stages of growth.\n<\/p>\n
Jacob-Ogogo said the partnership is aimed at helping more women entrepreneurs build businesses capable of creating jobs and contributing to Nigeria\u2019s productive economy.\n<\/p>\n
\u201cWomen are building businesses that create jobs, strengthen communities and contribute to Nigeria\u2019s productive economy,\u201d she said, adding that the initiative would help entrepreneurs develop the structures, knowledge and connections needed to scale their businesses.\n<\/p>\n
Agboola said the conference would help bridge the gap between entrepreneurs seeking finance and financial institutions looking for viable businesses to support.\n<\/p>\n
He noted that businesses with reliable records, sound financial management and clear growth plans are better positioned to secure funding, adding that participants would be guided on financing requirements and options that match their business needs.<\/p>\n
Beyond the conference, the 2026 W.O.M.A.N. programme will include cohort sessions across Nigeria\u2019s six geopolitical zones, investment-readiness and access-to-finance pathways, as well as digital capacity building through Alitheia Capital\u2019s Nzinga learning platform.\n<\/p>\n
The programme is designed to build a pipeline of women-led businesses that are ready to access debt, equity and blended-finance solutions while supporting industrialisation, MSME growth, job creation, energy transition and women\u2019s economic participation.\n<\/p>\n
Managing Partner of Alitheia Capital, Tokunboh Ishmael, said the programme was created to address structural barriers preventing women entrepreneurs from turning their existing business potential into sustainable growth.\n<\/p>\n
She said many of the participating businesses already have revenues, customers and growth ambitions, but access remains a major constraint.\n<\/p>\n
\u201cThe constraint is not ambition \u2014 it is access. W.O.M.A.N. 2026 is built to close that gap directly,\u201d Ishmael said.<\/p>\n
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The programme is being delivered in collaboration with the Bank of Industry (BOI), the Small and Medium Enterprises Development Agency of Nigeria (SMEDAN) and the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN), alongside other private-sector and development partners.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"First City Monument Bank (FCMB) has partnered with Alitheia Capital to expand access to finance, investment and business…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":842792,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[40],"tags":[356822,28,356823,158,356824,356825,356826,356827,356828,356829,356830],"class_list":["post-842791","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-entrepreneurship","tag-100-million-grant","tag-business","tag-business-grants-nigeria","tag-entrepreneurship","tag-entrepreneurship-opportunities-nigeria","tag-ict-training-for-entrepreneurs","tag-msme-opportunities-nigeria","tag-mtn-foundation-grant-2026","tag-mtn-foundation-ict-and-business-skills-training","tag-mtn-foundation-phase-8","tag-nigerian-women-entrepreneurs"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/842791","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=842791"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/842791\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/842792"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=842791"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=842791"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=842791"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}