Lagos, Nigeria – February 28, 2026 – Wema Bank, Nigeria’s oldest indigenous bank, pioneer of Africa’s first fully digital bank (ALAT), and a beacon of innovation in the financial services sector, has unveiled the Top 10 nominees for its prestigious women-focused award initiative, the SARA Gives to Empower Her Awards.
This marks the second edition of the bank’s She Empowers Her Award, designed to celebrate and honor women who have made significant impact in empowering other women.
The Top 10 Nominees
The distinguished nominees for the 2026 SARA Gives to Empower Her Awards are:
| Bosede Nwachi | Social Entrepreneur |
| Chigozie Blessing | NGO Founder |
| Ekwutosi Cynthia | Customer Success Leader |
| Franca Ozini | Coach and Public Speaker |
| Hassanat Abubakar | TEDx Speaker |
| Ikepo Osawaye | Mentor |
| Jennifer Edem Ekong | Marketing Professional |
| Ambassador Mabel Abel-Onaiwu | World Safety Ambassador |
| Oluwaseun Joan Stephen | Founder, Patrick Stephen Purple Heart Foundation for Widows |
| Victoria Ezechukwu-Obiya | Virtual Assistant Coach |
About the Award Initiative
Launched in 2024 through the Bank’s women-focused proposition, SARA by Wema, the Wema Bank She Empowers Her Award is designed to celebrate, honour and spotlight women who have made significant impact or built a legacy of empowering other women personally and professionally.
Deriving from the global International Women’s Day 2026 theme “Give to Gain”, Wema Bank’s 2026 IWD will focus on the topic “When She Gains, We Grow”, emphasising the need to give time, opportunities, resources and support to women. In line with this, this year’s edition of the She Empowers Her Award is tagged SARA Gives To Empower Her Award & Grant, spotlighting and rewarding women with a legacy of giving to other women.
Selection Process: Transparent and Rigorous
To ensure the selection of winners for the SARA Gives To Empower Her Award & Grant is fair and credible, Wema Bank incorporated a combination of public nominations, an internal jury, and a voting process, all vetted by an independent audit body.
The first stage was the call for nominees, which Wema Bank opened to the public on February 12, 2026, and closed on February 22, 2026. A remarkable pool of 2,332 nominations was received for a total of 351 women, who were then shortlisted to the Top 10 based on their impact and clear track record of giving to other women.
Voting Now Open
Voting is now open for the 5 winners, and anyone can participate by visiting: [https://bit.ly/VoteSARASheEmpowersHerAward](https://bit.ly/VoteSARASheEmpowersHerAward)
Award Ceremony Details
The SARA Gives to Empower Her Award ceremony will take place on March 4, 2026, at the Wema Bank International Women’s Day event, which will be held in Lagos. The ceremony will culminate in the emergence of 5 winners from the Top 10 nominees.
To find out the Top 5 winners of the SARA Gives to Empower Her Award, watch Wema Bank’s International Women’s Day Event live on YouTube **@Wema Bank** from 10 a.m. on March 4, 2026.
The SARA Gives to Empower Her Awards represent Wema Bank’s continued commitment to gender inclusion, women’s empowerment, and the recognition of women who are driving positive change in their communities. By spotlighting these remarkable women, the bank aims to inspire others and amplify the impact of women-led initiatives across Nigeria.
