By Adebola Muili
Union Bank of Nigeria, through its women-focused proposition, alpher, has empowered 98 female entrepreneurs with business skills, mentorship and funding under the Fearless Female Founders (FFF) 2.0 Accelerator Programme.
The initiative, implemented in partnership with Zuri Circle Network (ZCN), was designed to address some of the challenges faced by women-led businesses, particularly limited access to capital, business knowledge, mentorship and opportunities for sustainable growth.
The bank disclosed this in a statement on the programme, noting that the initiative attracted 2,810 applications from women entrepreneurs across Nigeria, out of which 98 founders were selected following a rigorous screening process involving business verification and compliance checks.
According to the statement, five women-led businesses that emerged as winners during the programme’s final pitch presentation also received grants from Union Bank as part of its commitment to supporting female entrepreneurs.
The Fearless Female Founders 2.0 Accelerator was established to identify and strengthen promising women-owned businesses through structured capacity building, mentorship, accountability and access to funding opportunities.
The selected entrepreneurs underwent screening that assessed their business registration, operational viability and financial record-keeping, with the aim of ensuring that beneficiaries had strong growth potential and demonstrated readiness for investment.
The final cohort comprised businesses operating across sectors including agriculture, fashion, food production, technology, manufacturing, retail and professional services.
Throughout the programme, participants received practical business development support focused on improving their operations, financial management, competitiveness and capacity for expansion.
Speaking on the partnership, Head of Retail Banking at Union Bank of Nigeria, Vivian Imoh-Itah, said the initiative reflected the bank’s commitment to creating opportunities for women to achieve greater personal, professional and financial success.
“Through alpher, Union Bank remains committed to creating meaningful opportunities for women to thrive personally, professionally, and financially,” Imoh-Itah said.
She added that the partnership with Zuri Circle Network demonstrated the bank’s deliberate focus on equipping women entrepreneurs with the tools, networks, knowledge and financial access required to build sustainable businesses.
“By investing in enterprises owned by women, we are not only empowering individual founders but also contributing to economic growth, job creation, and greater financial inclusion across Nigeria,” she said.
The bank noted that the programme was aimed at addressing the persistent difficulties many women entrepreneurs face in accessing formal financing and other opportunities required to expand their businesses.
Through the partnership, alpher and Zuri Circle Network seek to connect women-led businesses with funding, knowledge, networks and other resources to help them become investment-ready and achieve sustainable growth.
The initiative, the bank said, further reinforces its commitment to supporting women through innovative financial solutions, strategic partnerships, capacity-building programmes and improved access to financial services.
Since its launch, alpher has continued to promote initiatives aimed at supporting women at different stages of their personal and entrepreneurial journeys, with a focus on financial independence and business success.
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