Dike Onwuamaeze
The Stanbic IBTC Group, in collaboration with the Enterprise Development Centre (EDC) of the Pan Africa University, last weekend hosted the Bloom Weekend meant to empower female entrepreneurs’ through training and capacity development that would bolster their businesses.
The Head, Enterprise, Stanbic IBTC Bank, Ms. Jumoke Bello, said that the Bloom Weekend with the theme “Bloom Into More,” is to empower women through entrepreneurial training and showcasing them on a platform that connect them to other women whom they could network and engage with to grow.
Bello said: “It is for us to work together to support women; to promote women and empower women entrepreneurs and women businesses. We use this to support, empower and celebrate women to enable them to thrive and prosper, which is the main reason we are here.”
The Lead, Monitoring, Evaluation, Research and Learning, EDC, Dr. Stanley Ibeko, harped on the need to provide capacity training to women entrepreneurs on how to structure and manage their businesses.
Ibeko said: “We believe in the power of finance. We believe in the power of sound financial advice and all that. But not just finance is important for you to grow and scale your business, you also need to know about business structure, how to be able to market your product by making your services and products ready for the market in addition to accessing the right type of market.”
The Deputy Chief Executive, Stanbic IBTC Bank, Ms. Bunmi Dayo-Olagunju, said that the Bloom Weekend was an occasion to guide and support female startup businesses and SMEs on their growth path through financial empowerment and capacity enhancement.
She said: “But we have learnt that as they grow their business if you do not put other structures to support them that growth will get mismanaged. So, putting support structure has seen them sustaining that growth.”
Commenting on the Ladies at the Table Empowerment Series (LATTES), which ran as part of the Bloom Weekend, the Executive Director of Operations, Stanbic IBTC Pension Managers, Ms. Lara Osunsoko, said that LATTES is meant to create a safe space where women could lead conversations about their future.