Business
Ecobank Ellevate Exhibition: Opportunity to Prioritize Women Businesses – Carol Oyedeji
It was a glamorous last weekend, as thousands of women entrepreneurs, shoppers and visitors besieged Ecobank Ellevate maiden Exhibition and Workshop held simultaneously in Lagos, Ibadan, Port Harcourt, and Abuja. The Fair is a special free exhibition and networking workshop organized by Ecobank Nigeria for female entrepreneurs as part of activities to commemorate this year’s International Women’s Day (IWD).
Executive Director, Commercial Banking, Ecobank Nigeria, Carol Oyedeji in her remark expressed satisfaction with the turnout of exhibitors with various innovative goods and services in the different locations as well as patronage from various segments of the society, submitting that with the right support, female entrepreneurs would grow their businesses and contribute more meaningfully to the nation’s economic growth.
At the Lagos venue, Mrs Oyedeji toured the various exhibition booths and exchanged pleasantries with shoppers, exhibitors as well as visitors. She also participated in the various masterclasses and network activities, assuring them of continuous support of the Bank to create more wealth and value in the economy.
She further explained that Ellevate is not a product but a proposition. “When I say proposition, it actually transcends several products. Once you are a female-focused business owner; make products for women or your employees are women, you are qualified for the benefits of Ellevate. It was created to support women’s proposition. The supports are through financing their businesses through concession on the interest rate; we train their staff as much as possible to understand their business and create access for them in the international market. We have our sister entities in our 33 countries in Africa as far as access is concern. We have been able to provide experts that will train them.”
On the major challenges facing women-owned small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in Africa, she said “Number one is access to finance and the reason is that most times, they do not know the structure of their business. Number two is access to the market as they do not know how to package their goods. The third one is capacity building by understanding their business very well and ensuring they sell them. Ecobank the pan African bank is out to help businesses with all of these.”
At the trade event, the exhibitors displayed products ranging from fashion, beauty, makeup, hair/skin care, accessories, food, drinks, and arts among others. The female entrepreneurs also had the opportunity to attend several masterclasses where they were exposed to techniques on prioritizing health as a business owner, scaling business by leveraging social media and networking as a business owner. She is optimistic that the coaching would impact positively on their businesses.
Ellevate is designed to reduce gender inequality in entrepreneurship and aid equal representation for women in the formal business sector. It is aimed at empowering women-owned and women-managed businesses in Nigeria and indeed across all Ecobank’s Africa footprints, leveraging various unique financial and non-financial benefits. It promises an end-to-end partnership in which they could gain access to financial services specially tailored for them with loans at special terms and discounts. They could also get fixed deposit investments at special premium rates, zero account maintenance fee, continuous financial education, and capacity building under the Ecobank/ AUDA-NEPAD academy and other special arrangements. Also, they would have access to networking and recognition under its business clubs as well as access to markets and leveraging its various e-commerce solutions. All this in addition to giving them access to Ecobank’s unique digital payments and collections platforms like Omnilite for payments, EcobankpayNQR for contactless local and cross-border collections and modern POS channels, various lifestyle benefits including campaigns and promotions to drive Ellevate customers’ business growth and personal well-being.
First Bank of Nigeria Limited (FirstBank), Nigeria’s premier and leading financial inclusion services provider, has announced the launch of the Verve Flash Promo, a special initiative rewarding customers with free Verve cards.
The campaign, which commenced on 6 October 2025, and will run until 30 January 2026, is exclusively targeted at FirstBank customers whose ATM cards have expired.
The free cards will be issued daily to 131 customers on a first-come, first-served basis across the Bank’s branches, nationwide. FirstBank’s unwavering commitment to convenience, accessibility, and customer satisfaction.
Speaking on the rewards to FirstBank customers, Chuma Ezirim, the Group Executive, e-Business and Retail Products at FirstBank, said: “The Verve Flash Promo is not just about rewarding customers with free verve debit cards; it is about celebrating our legacy of 131 years of trust, resilience, and innovation in the Nigerian financial services industry. At FirstBank, we remain committed to providing customer-centric solutions that enable secure, seamless, and convenient payment experiences. Partnering with Verve International on these initiatives, including the Verve Good Life promo, underscores our shared vision of deepening financial inclusion while rewarding our loyal customers for their continuous patronage.”
Also commenting, Vincent Ogbunude, Managing Director, Verve International, noted:
“Through strategic collaborations like this with FirstBank, we continue to demonstrate Verve’s commitment to enhancing access to seamless payment solutions for every Nigerian. The Verve Flash Promo not only rewards loyal customers but also reinforces our vision of making everyday transactions more rewarding, secure, and convenient. As we extend the Good Life Promo, we remain steadfast in our goal of deepening financial inclusion while delivering real value to Verve cardholders across the country.”
Meanwhile, the ongoing Verve Good Life promo, designed to reward Verve debit card holders for using their cards at specific merchant points, has been extended to 30 November 2025.
During the period, Verve Card holders enjoy 10% cashback at The Place Restaurant, Quickteller, Buypower, Filmhouse, AlliExpress, Addide Supermarkets, and Chowdeck app every Thursday to Sunday.
Verve cardholders can now enjoy a 10% cashback on the Google Play Store any day of the week throughout the Good Life Promo, which runs until 30 November 2025. Moreso, every transaction made with a Verve card whether on ATMs, POS terminals, or online platforms automatically earns customers a chance to win up to ₦1,000,000.
Nigeria’s leading telecommunications company, Globacom, has announced enhancement of its data bundles to give subscribers more data volume at the same affordable prices.
The upgrade reinforces the company’s commitment to providing superior value and exceptional customer satisfaction.
The upgraded Glo Data Bundles are enhanced versions of the existing daily, weekly, and monthly plans, giving subscribers more data at no additional cost.
These improvements offer users greater freedom and convenience to enjoy their favourite online activities from streaming and gaming to social media, video calls, and more.
For daily users, the ₦100 plan has been upgraded from 105MB to 125MB, giving light internet users even more data to browse, chat, and stream short videos conveniently.
The weekly bundles have also received notable boosts, such as the ₦1,500 plan, which now offers 6GB instead of 5.9GB, enabling subscribers to stay connected longer.
Heavy data consumers will also enjoy remarkable value on the monthly plans. The ₦2,000 bundle now gives 6.25GB, while the ₦10,000 package has been enhanced from 38GB to 42GB, allowing users to do more from video streaming and large file downloads to remote work and virtual meetings.
Students are not left out, as the Campus Booster Plan has been upgraded with higher data allowances, ensuring seamless access to academic resources and social networks while on campus.
Globacom noted that the revised bundles are available to all Glo customers prepaid, postpaid, and hybrid and can be activated by dialing *312#, using the Glo Café app (available on Android and iOS), or visiting hsi.glo.com.
The company added that subscribers can use, share, or gift data through *312# or the Glo Café app. Customers will also continue to receive data usage alerts at 75% and 100% consumption levels to help monitor usage effectively.
Unused data is automatically rolled over upon renewal before expiry or when a new plan is purchased within the grace period (ranging from one to seven days, depending on the plan).
Globacom reaffirmed its commitment to empowering Nigerians with reliable and affordable data access, urging customers to take advantage of the revised data bundles that combine affordability, quality, and more browsing power ensuring every Glo subscriber enjoys more data without paying more.
Fidelity Bank Plc has congratulated Air Peace on the successful launch of its maiden direct flight from Lagos to London Heathrow, describing the milestone as a significant achievement for Nigeria’s aviation sector and a testament to the power of indigenous partnerships.
The commendation was delivered by Dr. Nneka Onyeali-Ikpe, managing director of Fidelity Bank, during a special event held in Lagos to celebrate the airline’s expansion into the European market.
“This is not just a win for Air Peace, but a win for Nigeria,” Onyeali-Ikpe said. “It reflects the strength of home-grown businesses and the impact of strategic financial support in enabling national champions to thrive on the global stage.”
Nigeria CommunicationsWeek reports that Fidelity Bank has played a pivotal role in Air Peace’s growth, providing early financial backing and advisory services that helped the airline become the largest carrier in West Africa. The bank continues to support Air Peace through payment processing and other financial services
The launch of the London route marks a new chapter for Air Peace, which now joins a select group of African airlines operating direct flights to Heathrow.
The development is expected to boost tourism, trade, and connectivity between Nigeria and the United Kingdom.
Speaking at the event, Allen Onyema, Chairman of Air Peace, expressed gratitude to Fidelity Bank for its unwavering support and reaffirmed the airline’s commitment to excellence and service.
“This partnership has been instrumental in our journey,” Onyema said. “We are proud to fly the Nigerian flag across international skies.”
Industry stakeholders present at the event praised the collaboration between the two companies as a model for sustainable business growth and national development.
