Ecobank has officially become a signatory of the Women’s Empowerment Principles (WEPs) by UN Women and the UN Global Compact. This commitment reflects their dedication to advancing gender equality and women’s empowerment across workplace, marketplace, and community settings.
The announcement was made by Ecobank Group CEO, Jeremy Awori, during a webinar organised by the Ecobank Foundation and UN Women in celebration of International Women’s Day. Themed “Invest in Women: Why does it matter? How can we accelerate it?”, the webinar addressed the significance of investing in women for building inclusive societies.
Jeremy expressed Ecobank’s unwavering commitment to driving gender equality, emphasising the importance of ensuring women and girls have equal opportunities to reach their full potential without facing discrimination. He highlighted Ecobank’s initiatives, including the multi-award-winning Ellevate program, designed to meet the financial and non-financial needs of women-owned businesses.
The program offers a range of solutions, including cash management, payments, banking services, funding, and skills training to women-owned, led, or focused businesses. Since its launch in November 2020, the program has benefited over 73 000 women entrepreneurs and disbursed more than US$177 million in loans.
In addition to Ellevate, Ecobank has implemented various initiatives to promote gender equality and inclusion. These include establishing a Diversity and Inclusion Council, signing the Women Working for Change Gender Diversity Charter, sponsoring awareness programs on gender-based violence, and implementing mentoring and career development initiatives for women. Furthermore, Ecobank plans to launch a women’s supplier program to enhance the participation of women-owned and led businesses in its procurement processes.
For more information on Ecobank visit www.ecobank.com
