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Heritage Bank Partners Pan Atlantic University on Annual SME Conference

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Heritage Bank has continued to promote economic development and entrepreneurship by partnering with the Enterprise Development Centre of the Pan African University for the 7th edition of its highly acclaimed SME Conference which will take place on Wednesday 25th September at the Sheraton Hotel and Towers, Ikeja Lagos. The annual SME Conference is the flagship offering of the SDC that brings together not less than 500 SMEs and SME Development stakeholders to discuss issues, developments and opportunities for the promotion and deepening of SME Culture in the country. The theme of this year’s edition is Model, Markets and Money “ Positioning Your Organisation.

EDC noted that the exclusive partnership between them and Heritage Bank was informed by the bank’s impressive efforts “as a key player in the provision of renewable financial services in Nigeria.

It further added that Heritage Bank’s recent launch of a first-of-its-kind SME Clinic by a financial service provider in the country is a demonstration of the bank’s commitment to providing excellent support structure for SMEs in the country on an on-going basis.

Bayo Ogunnusi, Head of SME at Heritage Bank, explained that the Bank is wholly committed to working with all stakeholders to ensure a robust SME Culture in the country. Cottage Industries form the livewire of all thriving economies all over the world. In Nigeria, this all-important sector has suffered neglect in the past. We at Heritage Bank have put together, through our recently launched MSME Clinic, a wrap around package that includes not just financial support but also critical services like business clinics, mentoring as well as platforms for networking, sharing and exposure to best practices and peer review. The EDC SME Conference is a very strong platform and we are happy to be involved with the project as a way of giving support to entrepreneurs.

It would be recalled that at the launch of the Heritage Bank Micro Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME) Clinic in Lagos earlier this year, CEO Ifie Sekibo pledged the bank’s readiness to develop a world class research-based model that would provide holistic approach to SME development across various strata of the nation’s economy.

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Heritage Bank will increase wallet of business transactions with Lagos State Govt - George-Taylor
L-R: Dr. Sophia Horsefall, Corporate Relations Manager, SPDC; Osepiribo Ben-Willie, Executive Director of Heritage Bank and Ivy Davies-Etokakpan, President of Eveafrique News at the Women Must Conference 2.0, titled “The Woman and Her Must” organised by The Kilali Tribe held in Port Harcourt.

PRESS RELEASE

Heritage Bank is agent for actualisation of SDG 5-Gender Equality, women empowerment – Kilali Tribe

05/12/2022:  Heritage Bank has been commended for being an agent for the actualisation of Sustainable Development Goals SDG 5 – Gender Equality, as well women empowerment for socio-economic growth.

This was stated by Kilali Tribe at the Women Must Conference 2.0, titled “The Woman and Her Must” organised by The Kilali Tribe which held in Port Harcourt.

The Kilali Tribe is an association of prolific Rivers and Bayelsa State women who come together to support themselves through peer learning, capacity-building initiatives, networking, and mentoring. Also, provide similar structured support to other women within the community.

Speaking at the event, Ivy Davies-Etokakpan, President of Eveafrique News who also member of Kilali Tribe, commended Heritage Bank for taking the lead in championing the empowerment of women over the years in the country.

“We are proud of Heritage Bank for making us soar while promoting women empowerment. Over the years, Heritage Bank has proved to be an agent for the actualisation of achieving SDG 5 – Gender Equality, as well women empowerment,” she said.

The Executive Director of Heritage Bank, Osepiribo Ben-Willie affirmed the need to deliberately adopt measures to deepen women empowerment to drive the nation’s socio-economic growth.

In her closing remarks, Osepiribo Ben-Willie hinted that the Conference had leveraged Kilali Tribe to come up with blueprint in promoting women’s equal right to socio-economic empowerment, as this is at the heart of the SDG5-Gender Equality.

The Executive Director of Heritage Bank affirmed that women all over have proved to be huge economic asset in the act of creation of a new sustainable economy, hence gender inclusiveness and women’s empowerment must be taken as a priority.

According to her, after evaluating the bottlenecks restraining the Kilali Tribe and other women to attain the platforms to grow professionally and thrive in all spheres of t heeconomy, it is a call to action to “tackle the challenges of gender disparity and lack of inclusiveness that have continued to impede the expected rapid economic empowerment that could help unshackle our women’s entrepreneurial prowess and foster more representation for women and girls at decision-making forums and Board levels in comparison to their peers in the developed countries.”

Ben-Willie added that for women to emerge economically and socially as independent there was an urgent need to tackle psychological, social and skill constraints.

Collaborating Ben-Willie’s, the Co-founder and former Group Executive Director of Sahara Group, Tonye Cole, advocated for women and girl inclusiveness across all sectors of the society, including economic participation and decision-making.

According to him, the country should be conscious of gender equality, whilst emphasising that dealing with the psychological constraint will enable women to be balanced emotionally.

He stressed the need for organisation to leverage women positions on Board level, as they are resourceful and could enormously impact to the growth of any society.

Cole also charged women in being deliberate to position and champion course that would put them at the forefront of making difference. //END.//

Ozena Utulu, Ag. Group Head, Corporate Communications

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