Wema Bank Unveils Top 10 Nominees For 2026 SARA Gives To Empower Her Award
Wema Bank, Nigeria’s oldest indigenous bank and the pioneer of Africa’s first fully digital bank, ALAT, has unveiled the Top 10 nominees for its 2026 SARA Gives to Empower Her Award, the second edition of its women-focused She Empowers Her initiative.
The Top 10 nominees are Social Entrepreneur Bosede Nwachi; NGO Founder Chigozie Blessing; Customer Success Leader Ekwutosi Cynthia; Coach and Public Speaker Franca Ozini; TEDx Speaker Hassanat Abubakar; Mentor Ikepo Osawaye; Marketing Professional Jennifer Edem Ekong; World Safety Ambassador Mabel Abel-Onaiwu, Founder of Patrick Stephen Purple Heart Foundation for Widows; Oluwaseun Joan Stephen; and Virtual Assistant Coach Victoria Ezechukwu-Obiya.
Launched in 2024 under Wema Bank’s women-focused proposition, SARA by Wema, the She Empowers Her Award was created to recognise and celebrate women who have built a legacy of empowering other women both personally and professionally.
Aligned with the global International Women’s Day (IWD) 2026 theme, “Give to Gain,” Wema Bank’s 2026 IWD campaign is themed “When She Gains, We Grow.” The initiative underscores the importance of giving women access to time, opportunities, resources, and support systems that enable them to thrive. Reflecting this vision, this year’s edition is titled “SARA Gives to Empower Her Award & Grant,” highlighting women who have demonstrated a consistent commitment to uplifting other women.
The selection process combines public nominations, internal jury review, and a voting stage, all overseen by an independent audit body to ensure transparency. Nominations were open to the public from February 12 to February 22, 2026. Within that period, the Bank received 2,332 nominations covering 351 women across various sectors. After a rigorous review based on measurable impact and a proven track record of empowering women, the list was narrowed down to 10 finalists.
The award ceremony will be held on March 4, 2026, during Wema Bank’s International Women’s Day event in Lagos, where five winners will emerge.
Public voting is now open, and interested participants can cast their votes at https://bit.ly/VoteSARASheEmpowersHerAward.
The announcement of the Top 5 winners will be streamed live on Wema Bank’s official YouTube channel (@Wema Bank) from 10:00 a.m. on March 4, 2026.
