Ecobank Nigeria Wins Award For Promoting Gender Balance

By Modupe Gbadeyanka

The efforts of Ecobank Nigeria Limited in promoting gender balance at the workplace have been crowned with recognition at the Nigeria2Equal Gender Leader awards.

The Governor of Lagos State, Mr Babajide Sanwo-Olu, was in attendance when the financial institution was rewarded at the ceremony organised by the International Finance Corporation (IFC) and Nigerian Exchange (NGX) Group.

The organisers said Ecobank Nigeria is one of the country’s key private sector players promoting gender equality in the workplace.

The Regional Director of IFC for Central Africa, Liberia, Nigeria and Sierra Leone, Ms Dahlia Khalifa, praised the progress of Nigeria2Equal’s participating companies’ progress in advancing women’s roles in their organizations.

“As we celebrate the accomplishments of these organizations who have shown outstanding leadership in closing the gender gaps within their organizations, we acknowledge the power of collaboration and the transformative impact that specific, measurable, and time-bound commitments can have on achieving gender parity in Nigeria’s private sector.

“IFC remains resolute in our commitment to sustain the momentum and support the private sector to scale up its efforts for a more gender-balanced, prosperous future.”

Receiving the award, Deputy Managing Director, Ecobank Nigeria, Carol Oyedeji, said Ecobank has policies and structures in place that promote gender balance in its employment, stressing that the recognitions are a testament to Ecobank Nigeria’s significant contributions to advancing gender equality within the organization and by extension, in Nigeria’s private sector.

She disclosed that the bank also has many initiatives and innovative products targeted at empowering and sustaining female entrepreneurs in Nigeria, such as ‘Ellevate’ and ‘Ecobank Female Entrepreneurs Initiative (EFEI)’, which are designed to empower and support female-owned small-scale businesses.

According to her, “Across Ecobank, we are intent on ensuring that all women can reach their full potential and always have equal opportunities to men in advancing their careers and achieving promotion.

“Female staff are holding strategic leadership and management positions in the organization. We are committed to creating a society and workplace that is free of bias and gender-based discrimination,” she said.