Abayomi Susan
Wema Bank, Nigeria’s oldest indigenous bank and pioneer of Africa’s first fully digital bank, ALAT, has unveiled the Top 10 nominees for its women-focused recognition initiative, the SARA Gives to Empower Her Award—the second edition of its She Empowers Her Award.
The Top 10 nominees are: Social Entrepreneur, Bosede Nwachi; NGO Founder, Chigozie Blessing; Customer Success Leader, Ekwutosi Cynthia; Coach and Public Speaker, Franca Ozini; TEDx Speaker, Hassanat Abubakar; Mentor, Ikepo Osawaye; Marketing Professional, Jennifer Edem Ekong; World Safety Ambassador, Ambassador Mabel Abel-Onaiwu; Founder, Patrick Stephen Purple Heart Foundation for Widows, Oluwaseun Joan Stephen; and Virtual Assistant Coach, Victoria Ezechukwu-Obiya.
Introduced in 2024 under the Bank’s women-focused proposition, SARA by Wema, the She Empowers Her Award was created to recognise and celebrate women who have made meaningful impact or built a legacy of empowering other women, both personally and professionally. Inspired by the global International Women’s Day (IWD) 2026 theme, “Give to Gain,” Wema Bank’s 2026 IWD campaign is themed “When She Gains, We Grow,” underscoring the importance of providing women with time, opportunities, resources and support. In alignment with this vision, this year’s edition is tagged “SARA Gives to Empower Her Award & Grant,” spotlighting and rewarding women with a proven track record of uplifting other women.
The selection process combines public nominations, internal jury review and a voting process, all overseen by an independent audit body. Nominations opened to the public on February 12, 2026, and closed on February 22, 2026. A total of 2,332 nominations were received, representing 351 women, from which the Top 10 were shortlisted based on measurable impact and demonstrated commitment to supporting other women.
The SARA Gives to Empower Her Award ceremony will be held on March 4, 2026, during Wema Bank’s International Women’s Day event in Lagos, culminating in the announcement of five winners.
Voting is now open, and the public can cast their votes at: https://bit.ly/VoteSARASheEmpowersHerAward
The Top 5 winners will be announced live at Wema Bank’s International Women’s Day event, streaming on YouTube @Wema Bank from 10:00 a.m. on March 4, 2026.
