Wema Bank has collaborated with the Federal Ministry of Women Affairs to introduce the MOWA-SARA Accelerator Programme, aimed at advancing gender equality and economic empowerment. This initiative seeks to provide essential vocational and business management skills to 500,000 women throughout Nigeria. The announcement was made during a Memorandum of Understanding signing ceremony held at the Ministry of Women Affairs in Abuja.

Spanning 24 months, the programme is structured to address the gender inclusion gap by offering women access to financial resources, market opportunities, networking, and healthcare services. Tunde Mabawonku, the bank’s Executive Director of Retail and Digital, stated that “Nigeria’s dynamic macroeconomic environment necessitates a focused approach to delivering customized solutions and opportunities that empower our population, particularly women.” 

Mabawonku highlighted the programme's capacity to enable women to succeed in Nigeria's demanding economic conditions. 

“Our objective is to assist women in navigating this challenging economic landscape by equipping them with self-employment skills, productivity resources, and support for achieving success. We recognize this necessity as part of our mission to empower lives through innovation, and we are committed to customizing our empowerment initiatives to meet the diverse needs of our customer base. This dedication is reflected in our solutions, partnerships, products, initiatives, and offerings, including SARA by Wema. I urge every woman interested in acquiring a skill that can generate income to enroll in the MOWA x SARA Accelerator Programme.”

The MOWA-SARA Accelerator Programme will extend its reach across all 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory, concentrating on vocational skills such as food processing, fashion design, and hairdressing, alongside business management training.

The program is designed with five-day in-person training sessions divided into eight cohorts, commencing with a pilot phase in Anambra, Ekiti, and Kano. Uju Kennedy-Ohanenye, the Minister for Women Affairs, emphasized the critical need to empower women to tackle the widespread issues arising from gender inequality. 

She stated, "I am convinced that empowering women to generate income will significantly mitigate many challenges." Kennedy-Ohanenye praised Wema Bank for its dedication to women's empowerment, noting, "This collaboration goes beyond the Federal Ministry of Women Affairs to reach Nigerian women, with the aim of ensuring the sustainability of empowerment initiatives for women."