Banking
Ecobank Has Demonstrated Pedigree, Expertise in Fees Collection—Sipe
By Dipo Olowookere
The Head of Marketing and Corporate Communications at Ecobank Nigeria, Mr Jide Sipe, has called on schools to partner with the bank as their preferred financial institution for payments and collections.
Mr Sipe, who was commenting on the lender’s partnership with HerAbility Hub to promote girl-child education, noted that Ecobank has demonstrated pedigree and expertise in fees collection, locally and internationally.
“We have special loan packages for parents and guardians to enable them to pay school fees for their children. Our digital offerings are targeted at reducing the financial burden on parents, students, and schools, and facilitating the ease of payment of fees without hassles.
“The digital offerings include Ecobank Mobile App, EcobankPay and Ecobank Online for contactless fees payment, personal loans and salary advance packages at competitive interest rates, international transfers for offshore school fees payment and affordable remittance offerings.
“Those who have families abroad who wish to send money home to help with fees can do so at zero charges on the Rapidtransfer app. The bank has also provided the Banking-for-School pack for educational institutions to access working capital and loans,” he said.
Recently, in line with its overall strategy to support the development of the nation’s education sector, Ecobank Nigeria threw its full weight behind the Somolu school tour, which was themed Shattering the Glass Ceiling.
The event featured career seminars, empowerment programmes and donations of diverse education materials to schools in Lagos.
According to Mr Sipe, the banking firm supported the event because “the guiding principle of Ecobank’s CSR activities is to contribute to the economic development and financial integration of Africa.”
“Our main focus is to give back and contribute effectively to the societies in which we operate. This partnership follows our recognition of the inherent threat of a weak reading culture in Nigeria and its part of our dedicated efforts on literary advocacy amongst youths,” he added.
The founder of HerAbility Hub, Dr Omoayena Odunbaku, while commending Ecobank for the support, stressed that the success of the tour would nourish the future of many and transcend the borders that hinder the progress and success of the girl-child.
“The school tour was scheduled for four different locations across four days. It was targeted at 1,200 participants including 1,000 students across 19 government secondary schools, desk officers, keynote speakers and resource persons.
“Participation was by representation with a maximum of 50 students (25 male, 25 females) from each of the schools. The schools include Igbobi Junior High School, Morocco Shomolu, St Luke’s Junior Grammar School. CMS, Gbagada Comprehensive school, Bariga, Baptist Junior Grammar School, Obanikoro,” she stated.
Dr Odunbaku explained that HerAbility Hub is a female community platform that provides and integrates career talks channelled towards mentorship of young female secondary school students, film forums that give inspiration and steer critical thinking skills, and girl-child empowerment projects that are complemented with civic engagement lessons.
Further, she stated that HerAbility Hub advocates for girl-child empowerment by disseminating information that promotes the girl child’s sense of self-worth and their ability to determine their own choices, providing them with inspiration to break glass ceilings, motivating them to contribute positively to society, especially in the crucial years of their transition into adulthood and equipping them with the right resources to transcend rigid gender norms that undermine their full potentials.
By Aduragbemi Omiyale
A collaboration to enable fast money transfers into Nigeria has been entered into between Flutterwave and Xoom, PayPal’s international digital money transfer service.
The partnership allows Xoom transfers to be converted by Flutterwave and settled locally in Naira, enabling quick transfers directly into recipients’ bank accounts at Access Bank, UBA, Zenith Bank, First Bank, GTBank, and additional participating banks across Nigeria.
The deal also enables Xoom’s global network with Flutterwave’s local payout infrastructure, allowing users globally to send funds directly into Nigerian bank accounts with improved speed and efficiency.
Nigeria is the leading remittance recipient in Sub-Saharan Africa, receiving over $20 billion in personal remittances in 2024. Despite this volume, receiving international payments has historically remained complex due to FX constraints and settlement delays. This collaboration helps address those challenges in a market of more than 232 million people, where the ICT sector is projected to contribute 21 per cent of GDP by 2027.
By combining Xoom’s expansive reach with Flutterwave’s local compliance and banking partnerships, the two companies are providing a more accessible financial corridor for the continent.
Xoom, a PayPal service, is a fast and secure international digital money transfer service that enables consumers to send money, pay bills, and reload phones for friends and family in approximately 160 markets globally.
As part of PayPal’s global payments ecosystem, Xoom leverages advanced fraud protection, compliance capabilities, and a trusted global network to help millions of customers move money quickly and securely across borders.
“We’re excited to have been chosen by Xoom for their Nigeria expansion. Millions of Nigerians rely on money from abroad to support everyday needs, whether it’s families receiving help from loved ones, freelancers getting paid for their work, or individuals earning income from the global economy. This helps make it easy and more reliable for people in Nigeria to receive funds and stay connected to opportunities beyond borders,” the chief executive of Flutterwave, Mr Olugbenga GB Agboola, stated.
By Aduragbemi Omiyale
An initiative known as Nigeria Lightning Rounds, designed to expand funding opportunities for Nigerian startups and small businesses by connecting founders with local and international investors, has been launched by ProvidusUnity Bank, in partnership with US-based global venture firm and accelerator, gener8tor.
Scheduled to be held on July 15, 2026, Nigeria Lightning Rounds will feature carefully selected startups engaging with targeted investors who have expressed interest in supporting Nigerian innovation.
Participating founders will have the opportunity to pitch their businesses through focused 15-minute virtual sessions facilitated by gener8tor and ProvidusUnity Bank’s networks.
The program will focus on high-growth sectors including fintech, healthtech, manufacturing, sustainability, and AI, but welcomes SMEs from all industries, with intending participants urged to apply via https://www.gener8tor.com/lightning-rounds/nigeria.
“We recognise that access to capital remains one of the biggest challenges facing entrepreneurs in Nigeria. Through our partnership with gener8tor, we are creating a platform that connects promising Nigerian founders with investors who can provide the support required to scale their businesses,” the Head of Business Development at ProvidusUnity Bank, Mr Ernest Elue, stated.
“The partnership reinforces ProvidusUnity Bank’s commitment to strengthening Nigeria’s entrepreneurial ecosystem by supporting innovation, enabling access to opportunities, and creating pathways for businesses with high-growth potential,” he added.
Also commenting, the Director of Lightning Rounds at gener8tor, Ms Elizabeth Larios, said, “gener8tor is thrilled to partner with ProvidusUnity Bank to extend the Lightning Rounds model into Nigeria.
“This collaboration reflects our commitment to building equitable ecosystems and driving capital to the most promising and underrepresented entrepreneurs.”
Lightning Rounds are a signature initiative of gener8tor’s investment platform, which has facilitated thousands of investor-startup meetings globally. The format is optimised to eliminate friction, reduce bias in early-stage fundraising, and help founders secure capital from investors aligned with their mission and stage. gener8tor’s previous Lightning Rounds for Nigerian Founders in 2025 featured 18 participating Investors and led to 50 investment meetings facilitated.
By Modupe Gbadeyanka
The verification of the depositors of the 46 microfinance banks, whose operating licenses were revoked by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) over a week ago, has commenced.
The exercise, aimed at refunding those whose funds were trapped in the small lenders, is being conducted by the Nigeria Deposit Insurance Corporation (NDIC).
In a statement on Thursday, the agency said its staff members have been positioned at the offices of the affected banks across the country to attend to depositors.
It was disclosed that depositors of the defunct banks, who had their Bank Verification Numbers (BVNs) linked to their accounts in the failed banks, will be paid through their alternative accounts in existing banks.
However, depositors whose BVNs were not linked to their accounts in the failed banks have been encouraged to visit the affected banks’ offices with proof of account ownership, a passport photograph, verifiable means of identification (Driver’s Licence, Permanent Voter’s Card, International Passport or National ID Card) and BVN.
NDIC also stated that depositors can alternatively file their claims online through its website: www.ndic.gov.ng, to complete the Pre-Verification Claims Form by clicking on the Search Bar, and typing Pre-Verification Claims Form; opening the Form and filling in their details. They can also do so by clicking the link: https://ndic.gov.ng/ndic-pre-verification-claims-form/ or by visiting any of the NDIC offices closest to them to file their claims.
For further enquiries, the corporation can be reached on any of the following lines: 09037273810, 09038197064, 08104220807, 09064657140.
