By Sam Akpe, Abuja
Nigeria’s premier financial services provider, First Bank, has announced a business incentive package called First Gem 4.0., with the theme The Art of Negotiation. It aims principally at providing women with insights on the secrets of wealth management, investment and savings.
The bank, in a statement, described First Gem, as an account designed specifically to meet the needs of women, aged 18 years and above.
It is targeted at “a broad spectrum of women, working professionals, entrepreneurs or market women to promote their business through an array of benefits, from free business advisory services on business funding, specialized training on Business Development initiatives (online and physical).”
The package of benefits also includes regular information or insights on business opportunities or openings in various sectors and industries. First Gem account owners also have access to mouth-watering discounts at merchant outlets such as spas, salons, grocery stores that offer lifestyle products and services.
Top officers of the bank and business experts billed to speak at the event, scheduled for Wednesday include Mrs. Ibukun Awosika, chairman of the bank; Professor Pedro Videla; and Professor Mehta Kandarp. Topics for discussion will evolve around the theme of the International Women’s Day: Choose to Challenge; the current state of the Global Economy and how it Impacts Business Decisions and Negotiation as a Tool for Winning in Business and Career.
At the event, First Bank Small and Medium Scale Enterprises customers would be given the opportunity to pitch their business idea and stand a chance to get one million naira seed fund to kick-start their business; whose ideas would be judged based on originality, feasibility, good presentation skills and sustainability.
First Gem was first launched in October 2016 as part of the bank’s efforts at products targeted at promoting female empowerment, impact and influence in the economy. It is designed to reach every woman irrespective of where they are in Nigeria and abroad.
Interested women can gather to connect, grow and share knowledge on everything about lifestyle, motherhood, career development, entrepreneurship, health, work and family.
The bank’s Deputy Managing Director, Francis Shobo, said the First Gem 4.0 “is the icing on the cake in the streams of initiatives and activities we have organised and participated in March as we join the world to celebrate women for the indelible roles they play in our society.”
He said through these activities, “we spearhead the call on the need to promote women inclusiveness in the country as the role they play towards the continued socio-economic growth and development of any given society cannot be overemphasized.”
Shobo indicated that First Gem account is specifically designed to meet the financial needs of women as it offers unrivalled services that empower women to do more and achieve more.
The package, he, said, seeks to drive financial development and the empowerment of women through gender engineered programmes; because “we recognize that promoting female entrepreneurship and empowerment is crucial to a better society.”
