E-Financial
Unity Bank Partners Women Groups as it Launches Yanga Account in Uyo, Gombe
Unity Bank has collaborated with identified women groups in the North East and South/South regions as the Bank launches Yanga Account in Gombe and Uyo.
L – R: Rebecca Ladem, Ministry of Commerce and Industry, Regional Manager, Unity Bank, Kaduna, Hafsatu Bukar Shettima, Honorable Commissioner, Ministry of Women Affairs, Gombe State, Hon. Na’omi Awak and Chief Customer Service Officer, Unity Bank Plc, Titilayo Abraham during the launch of Yanga Account in Gombe by Unity Bank Plc
A statement from the Bank said the initiative and platforms being created with the Yanga Account is intended to drive financial inclusion and deepen its retail franchise especially among women in mass retail segment of the market.
“With the launch of Yanga Account, Unity Bank has created a customised banking service for the women MSMEs and the collaborative partnership with various women groups is a channel for the individual members of the groups to leverage the benefits of the Yanga Experience to drive the growth of their businesses”, the Bank stated.
Unity Bank officially launched the Yanga Account in Abuja recently where the veteran Nollywood actress was unveiled to the target market as Brand Ambassador to specifically promote women MSMEs and create a unique proposition for Yanga Account and the Brand in the market.
The Yanga Experience train stopped at the ancient city of Ibadan last week, where the Bank pledged to engage no fewer than 5 million Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) operated by women in the South West region, even as Sola Sobowale, the Brand Ambassador, said no women will be left behind.
The partnership with women groups in Northeast and South-South and South-East Nigeria officially kicked off on Tuesday at activation events in Uyo, the Akwa Ibom State capital and Gombe for the Northeast region, where veteran actress and the Bank’s brand ambassador, Sola Sobowale undertook market tours to interact with the women and gain first-hand knowledge of how the Yanga Experience is being received in the market.
Targeted at women-owned MSMEs across Nigeria, the Yanga Account is a complete suite of services designed to promote financial inclusion among women through stress-free savings and investment, access to the services of dedicated Sales Agents, Agency Banking services close to the location of their businesses, special business seminar and training on how to grow business, access to microloans, customized debit cards and other bundled e-banking products.
Speaking at the event in Gombe on Tuesday, Mrs. Tomi Somefun, Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of Unity Bank Plc, stated the “Yanga Account is most suitable for the needs of all the MSMEs operated by women in this region. We are optimistic that the carefully considered features will meet the needs of the target market,” noting that “the Yanga account is open to all market women in farming, fashion design, tailoring, frozen food, pastry and baking, cosmetics, jewellery designs and making, skincare, eateries and restaurants, etc. whether living in the communities or cities”.
She reiterated “the Yanga Account is conceived and designed for the financial literacy and empowerment of Nigerian women. It is about making sure that our women who make up 55% of the financially excluded Nigerians have access to basic and life-changing financial services”.
Also speaking during a market tour in Uyo, the Bank’s new brand ambassador, King of Boys star, Sola Sobowale invited all Nigerian women who operate businesses in the South-South and South-East to embrace the incredible opportunities offered by the Yanga account to grow their businesses.
She said: “This is the first time that a Bank will specifically design a product to cater to women and I am excited about the inherent benefits of this account and the endless possibilities that it brings to my fellow women. I invite all my fellow women in South-South and South-East Nigeria to sign up for the Yanga Account and watch their levels change.”
On his part, Mr. Funwa Akinmade, Group Head, Retail, SME Banking and E-Business, Unity Bank Plc, who spoke at the launch in Gombe said: “Female-led MSMEs in Northern Nigeria continue to play pivotal roles in the contribution of the MSMEs to the economy of Nigeria and that has informed this special activation of Yanga account in Gombe today.
“The Yanga account is a well-packaged banking product that combines several services that most small businesses owned by women will need to become profitable. We are optimistic that women in Gombe and all others across Northeast Nigeria will embrace the Yanga Account and leverage its full benefits to grow their businesses.”
With the launch of the Yanga account, Unity Bank said it underscores its retail strategy which continually aligns with the vision of the Central Bank of Nigerian and the financial services ecosystem to provide needed support for Nigerian women by enhancing access to wealth-creating opportunities in the financial services sector.
Industry watchers believe the retail product has the potential to aggressively deepen financial inclusion, which recent research by Enhancing Financial Innovation & Access (EFInA) has shown, “can benefit individuals, families, and businesses, supporting key outcomes such as GDP growth”.
L – R: Rebecca Ladem, Ministry of Commerce and Industry, Regional Manager, Unity Bank, Kaduna, Hafsatu Bukar Shettima, Honorable Commissioner, Ministry of Women Affairs, Gombe State, Hon. Na’omi Awak and Chief Customer Service Officer, Unity Bank Plc, Titilayo Abraham during the launch of Yanga Account in Gombe by Unity Bank Plc
World Bank has approved an additional $65 million loan for Nigeria to support the Sustainable Procurement, Environmental, and Social Standards Enhancement (SPESSE) project, increasing the total financing for the initiative to $145 million.
The approval was granted on June 24, 2025, according to details posted on the World Bank’s website, which also indicates that the project’s status has moved to “active” following the approval.
The SPESSE project, initially launched with an $80 million loan approved in February 2020, aims to strengthen institutional capacity for managing procurement, environmental, and social standards in both the public and private sectors across Nigeria.
The World Bank described the project’s development objective as the establishment of sustainable capacity in these areas.
This latest approval is part of a broader wave of financing expected from the World Bank to Nigeria in 2025.
The bank is scheduled to approve loans totalling $1.61 billion over the coming months, supporting various development initiatives.
Among these is a $300 million loan for the ‘Solutions for the Internally Displaced and Host Communities Project,’ expected to be finalised by the end of July.
This project aims to improve access to basic services and economic opportunities for internally displaced persons (IDPs) and host communities in selected local government areas in northern Nigeria.
In September, the World Bank plans to approve four additional loans: a $10.5 million facility to support technical assistance for the Central Bank of Nigeria, a $300 million Health Security Program targeting Western and Central Africa (Nigeria – Phase IV), a $500 million project for building resilient digital infrastructure (BRIDGE), and a $500 million loan under the Nigeria Sustainable Agricultural Value-Chains for Growth project aimed at promoting sustainable growth and job creation within key agricultural sectors.
Earlier in March 2025, the bank approved three financing requests amounting to $1.13 billion.
These funds are directed towards projects focused on enhancing quality education, boosting household and community resilience, and improving nutrition.
Among the approved loans were $80 million for the Accelerating Nutrition Results in Nigeria 2.0 project, $552 million for the HOPE for Quality Basic Education for All programme, and $500 million for the Community Action for Resilience and Economic Stimulus Programme.
In February, the Nigerian government announced expectations of new World Bank loans totalling $2.2 billion for six different projects in 2025. This follows a $1.5 billion loan disbursed in 2024 aimed at strengthening Nigeria’s economic stability and resource mobilisation efforts.
Ecobank, a pan-African financial services group, has partnered with Google Cloud in a deal to improve financial services with advanced analytics, AI and driving digital empowerment across Africa.
This collaboration will focus on leveraging Google Cloud’s advanced technologies and AI to enhance Ecobank’s digital offerings to accelerate the digital transformation of the Bank.
The partnership agreement is designed to empower individuals, support the growth of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in the region, and contribute to the overall economic development of Africa.
“Our collaboration with Google Cloud is a leap forward in Ecobank’s digital transformation journey. We look forward to leveraging Google Cloud’s world-class technology to unlock new possibilities for individuals and businesses to grow and scale across Africa,” said Jeremy Awori, group chief executive officer of Ecobank.
“This collaboration signifies our shared intent to explore building a more connected and financially inclusive future for the continent.”
Thomas Kurian, CEO, Google Cloud, stated that Google Cloud and Ecobank have a shared vision for using technology to help deliver financial empowerment to more people and businesses in Africa.
“We look forward to exploring the ways our cutting-edge AI, powerful data analytics, and scalable infrastructure can support Ecobank’s efforts to fuel the continent’s economic development and digital future.”
The collaboration aims to simplify and streamline money transfers, both domestically and across borders. By leveraging Google Cloud’s capabilities, including its powerful data analytics platform, BigQuery, for AI-driven insights, Ecobank will aim to develop solutions that improve access to finance for SMEs, simplify payment acceptance, and provide valuable data-driven insights to help businesses scale across more than 33 countries in Africa.
Stanbic IBTC Holdings Plc has announced the successful close of the N148.7 billion Rights Issue subscription exercise following the completion of the verification exercise by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and final clearance by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).
Stanbic IBTC Holdings said the Rights Issue was oversubscribed by 21.9 percent, adding that the holding company has injected N140 billion into Stanbic IBTC Bank.
Kunle Adedeji, acting Chief Executive, Stanbic IBTC Holdings Plc while commenting on the just concluded rights issue programme said that “The turnout and participation of existing shareholders taking up their rights was impressive such that the rights issue was oversubscribed by 21.9percent to the tune of N181.4 billion. Our shareholders’ interest shows the confidence they continue to have in the brand,” he said.
“We appreciate the support of the Central Bank of Nigeria, The Securities and Exchange Commission, the Lead Issuing house, Joint Issuing houses and other stakeholders in the successful completion of the recapitalisation exercise.
“We are optimistic about future opportunities, as the injection of new capital will position us to take advantage of them to enable us to deliver to our shareholders. To all shareholders, we are grateful for your unwavering belief and support for the Stanbic IBTC Brand and your willingness to continue this journey with us,” Adedeji said.
Having received an injection of N140 billion from the parent company, the Chief Executive of the Banking subsidiary, Wole Adeniyi, remarked that “the injection of the new capital into the banking subsidiary is a positive development. This will enable the Bank to seize additional opportunities within the industry and enhance our Single Obligor Limit (SOL).
“We deeply appreciate the dedication and hard work of our regulators, issuing houses, and all other stakeholders. We extend our sincere gratitude for your continued support.”
Global Crypto Heists Surge to $2.1Bn in H1 2025 as Digital Assets is Weaponised
World Bank Approves Extra $65m for Nigeria’s SPESSE
NCC, REA Move to Power Telecoms with Renewable Energy
CAC Launches AI-powered Business Registration Portal
NCC Approves MTN, 9Mobile Roaming Collaboration Deal
E-Financial2 days agoAccess ARM Pensions Advocates Ways to Boost Civil Servants’ Retirement
E-Business2 days agoFirm Warns as Social Media Scams Put Users’ Data at Risk
Telecom1 day agoAVEVA Highlights Climate Impact Gains in 2024 Sustainability Report
General News1 day agoAfCFTA Opens Opportunity for Logistics Sector
Telecom2 days agoMTN Nigeria Launches “Mega Billion Promo” to Reward Customer Loyalty and Drive Financial Inclusion
E-Business2 days agoNigeria Ranks 3rd in Africa for Ransomware Threats –INTERPOL
Telecom1 day agoALTON Explains SIM-related Services Disruption Across Mobile Networks
General News2 days agoNELFund Warns Students Against Fake Loan Portal