Bolt canvasses inclusive financial opportunities for women 

By Olivia Nnorom

Top Mobility app, Bolt, has enjoined organisations on the need to contribute a quota to inclusive financial opportunities for Nigerian women, especially on the provision of financial literacy and independence which are relevant tools required to empower the female gender.

This was the centre of discussion at a recent summit  organised by the company in Lagos, themed ‘Promoting Financial Inclusion and Independence for Women’ ,which had the company’s female employees, female drivers, and other female stakeholders, all gathered to analyse the prospect of closing the financial inclusion gap and promoting financial independence

Reviewing data from Enhancing Financial Innovation and Access (EFInA) which shows a relative gender gap of 33 per cent in Nigeria’s financial inclusion rate between men and women, they noted that it is imperative to foster discussions that seek to improve financial literacy and impact the financial well-being of Nigerian women.

Speaking at the event, Weyinmi Aghadiuno,senior public policy manager for West and Central Africa, said the company is committed to fostering diversity, equity, and inclusion, adding that the 2023 edition of the annual summit  is aimed at delving beyond tech into the well-being of the female entrepreneurs on its  platforms,as well as its female employees.

“After deliberating on the key issues impacting their well-being, we decided to focus the summit on tools to promote financial independence and safety, which tie into the core values of Bolt,” she added.

According to Aghadiuno, women are resourceful and dependable, and possess the brainpower, technical skills, intuition, and wisdom needed to move industries and nations forward when presented with inclusive financial opportunities.

She, therefore, encouraged all organisations to take a step forward by empowering the women in their communities, even beyond their immediate employees.

Also speaking at the summit, Tosin Olaseinde,founder,Money Africa pointed out that financial literacy is an extremely important lesson for Nigerian women.

“Research has shown that when money is in the hands of women, it boosts the entire family and community creating a ripple effect,” she said.

Olaseinde noted that It is important for companies to play their parts in creating inclusive growth, especially for women, because when employees are financially literate, they are happier and more productive.