The Development Bank of Nigeria (DBN), with support from Agence Française de Développement (AFD), and Sterling One Foundation will on Friday, November 21, host the Women Investment Readiness Accelerator (WIRA) Demo Day.
This is to showcase the innovation and growth potential of women-led enterprises in Nigeria.
The Demo Day will serve as the final stage of the WIRA programme, providing women entrepreneurs who have undergone weeks of hands-on business development training, mentorship, and investment readiness, coaching the opportunity to pitch their businesses to a room of targeted investors, development finance institutions and strategic ecosystem partners.
WIRA was launched to bridge the long-standing capacity and financing gap faced by women-led businesses in Nigeria.
Many women entrepreneurs continue to face capital, quality advisory services, market opportunities, and networks needed to scale their enterprises, despite playing a significant role in driving economic productivity and job creation.
The programme directly responds to these gaps by equipping participants with the tools, resources and confidence to expand and sustain their businesses in competitive markets, investing in women-led enterprises.
Speaking ahead of the Demo Day, Dr. Tony Okpanachi, the Managing Director/CEO of Development Bank of Nigeria Plc, emphasised the importance of the WIRA programme.
He said it represents a strong step towards unlocking the potential of women entrepreneurs who, for too long, have been underserved.
“At DBN, we recognise that empowering women-led MSMEs is essential for achieving inclusive economic growth.
“The upcoming Demo Day is an opportunity to showcase the innovation and resilience that these women bring to the Nigerian economy, and to connect them to partners who can help bring their ideas to scale,” Dr Okpanachi said.
Similarly, Olapeju Ibekwe, CEO of Sterling One Foundation, noted that the Demo Day reflects the Foundation’s commitment to long-term women economic empowerment.
“Our goal with WIRA has been to not only build business capacity, but to expand the pathways to funding and visibility for women entrepreneurs.
“The Demo Day is more than a pitch event, it is a platform that elevates women’s voices, celebrates their innovation, and links them with opportunities to grow their impact.
“We look forward to showcasing the remarkable progress these entrepreneurs have made,” she said.
About the Development Bank of Nigeria
Development Bank of Nigeria was set up by the Federal Government of Nigeria (FGN) in collaboration with global development partners to address the major financing challenges facing Micro, Small and Medium Scale Enterprises (MSMEs) in Nigeria.
Its objective is to alleviate financing constraints faced by MSMEs and small Corporates in Nigeria through the provision of financing and partial credit guarantees to eligible financial intermediaries on a market-conforming and fully financially sustainable basis.
For more informationvisithttps://www.devbankng.com/
About the Sterling One Foundation
Sterling One Foundation (SOF) is a registered non-profit focused on tackling the root causes of poverty in Nigeria, and Africa through interventions and social impact programmes across three critical sectors namely: health, education and climate action & food security.
Gender Equality and women empowerment are integrated as a cross-cutting priority across all our programming areas.
The Foundation’s programmes adopt a central theme of prioritizing partnerships for the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
For more information visit onefoundation.ng
