By Henry Uche
As part of its continued commitment to women and the Medium, Small, and Medium-scale Enterprise (MSME) sector in the country; insurance and asset management company, AXA Mansard, has supported three female-owned MSMEs with business grants totaling 1.4 million to boost their operations.
Three businesses were successful at the International Women’s Day Pitch Competition, organised in partnership with SME 100 Africa in Lagos.
Aimed at supporting women entrepreneurs in Nigeria, the business pitch competition “is another way AXA is demonstrating its commitment to the cause of women and stimulating the MSME sector in Nigeria,” said Head of Marketing, AXA Mansard, Olusesan Ogunyooye.
The business pitch competition received numerous entries from women across different sectors, but after a rigorous selection process, shortlisted participants were selected to participate in the competition.
According to Ogunyooye, the programme provided a unique opportunity for women from various works and socio-economic classes to showcase their innovative ideas and solutions in sectors such as food, tech, fashion, and fragrance, creating an atmosphere filled with excitement, enthusiasm, and a strong sense of community.
AXA Head of Marketing stressed the importance of investing in women, saying that it is not just the right thing to do; but also aligns with AXA’s purpose of acting for human progress, believing that the future of women shouldn’t be at risk; but investing in their economic empowerment is a critical to de- risking their future.
“Women are very important in the socio-economic interplay. More importantly, women in MSMEs. Since MSMEs are the life blood of any economy, the more we empower women, the more jobs we create, the more wealth is distributed. This grant for us at AXA is the right thing to do in a lot of ways and we are looking to do more for the Nigerian women and MSMEs” he assured.
Winners of the competition are Lawon Ajoke, Founder of Calcium Hub; Ngozi Ada Onyekwelu, Founder of Ibbie Gold Smart Cards; and Taiwo Esther, Founder of Damseth Enterprise. Calcium Hub won the start grant of one million naira; while Ibbie Gold Smart Cards and Damseth won two hundred thousand naira respectively.