AXA Mansard to empower 200 women-led SMEs with skills 

Cynthia Ezekwe

AXA Mansard Nigeria, a member of the AXA Group, an insurance and asset management company, has launched a new initiative aimed at empowering 200 female-led Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) with financial literacy and digital business skills.

The programme, which is part of the company’s broader commitment to supporting women’s economic empowerment and advancing gender equality in business, is designed to help female entrepreneurs build the skills and knowledge they need to grow and sustain their businesses in today’s increasingly digital world.

Olusesan Ogunyooye, the head of marketing at AXA Mansard, stated that the programme’s goal is to equip female SME owners with the necessary skills to improve their business performance and take advantage of the growing economic opportunities available in today’s increasingly digital environment. 

“For us at AXA Mansard, we are aware that digital will play a major role in unlocking these current opportunities and Nigeria’s economic future. So, to ensure that women are equally represented in unlocking these future potentials, that’s why we have collaborated with SME 100 Africa to support them in developing the required skills,’’ he said. 

According to Ogunyooye, the new initiative is in line with AXA Mansard’s sustainability agenda, which is rooted in the company’s belief that women play a vital role in driving progress. He added that AXA Mansard is committed to supporting women through its inclusive protection programs and that this is an essential part of the company’s mission to become more than just a payer of claims but a true partner in protecting what matters most.

“It’s almost trite to say that SMEs are the engine for economic growth, especially in developing countries like Nigeria, where over 45 million adults are business owners. What needs to be continually discussed is how Nigeria is going to unlock that potential for economic development and how much of that potential will be unlocked by women and for women,’’ he  said. 

The marketing head further explained the reasoning behind the focus on digital and financial literacy skills, saying, “Our choice of digital and financial literacy skills is deliberate. We understand the power of the duo. We understand that helping these SMEs with the skills to attract more customers will be a faster means to empower them. 

“We see that they have amazing products and services, but they need to understand how to attract value for themselves by attracting the right customers, and you will agree with me that virtually all customer segments are online in one way or another today. So, if we can empower them with digital business skills, we would have helped them with the heavy lifting of trying to find and attract customers,” Ogunyooye said.