Wema Bank, Nigeria’s oldest indigenous bank and pioneer of Africa’s first fully digital bank, ALAT, has announced the Top 10 nominees for the 2026 edition of its women-focused initiative, the SARA Gives to Empower Her Award & Grant.
The award, an evolution of the Bank’s She Empowers Her Award, is driven by SARA by Wema—its dedicated women-focused proposition. The initiative celebrates women who have made remarkable impact by empowering other women both personally and professionally.
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 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, the She Empowers Her Award recognises women who have built a legacy of uplifting others. Drawing inspiration from the global International Women’s Day (IWD) 2026 theme, “Give to Gain,” Wema Bank’s 2026 IWD focus is themed “When She Gains, We Grow.” The theme underscores the importance of providing women with time, opportunities, resources and support to drive collective progress.
In line with this vision, this year’s award edition spotlights women who have demonstrated a consistent commitment to giving back and empowering other women.

The selection process combined public nominations, internal jury review and a voting process, all vetted by an independent audit body to ensure transparency. Nominations were open to the public from February 12 to February 22, 2026. The Bank received 2,332 nominations covering 351 women, from which the Top 10 finalists were shortlisted based on measurable impact and a proven track record of supporting other women.

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 supporters can cast their votes at:

https://bit.ly/VoteSARASheEmpowersHerAward.

The Top 5 winners will be announced live during the event, which will be streamed on Wema Bank’s YouTube channel (@Wema Bank) from 10 a.m. on March 4, 2026.