Caption: From left, Executive Commissioner Legal and Enforcement Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), Ms. Frana Chukwuogor; Director–General of the commission, Dr. Emomotimi Agama; Minister for Women Affairs, Hajia Imaan Suleiman-Ibrahim; Executive Commissioner, Corporate Services, SEC, Mrs. Samiya Usman; and Executive Commissioner, Operations, SEC, Bola Ajomale; during the commemoration of the International Women’s Day 2025 by the SEC in Abuja on Thursday.
The Minister of Women Affairs, Hajia Imaan Sulaiman-Ibrahim, on Thursday in Abuja, called on all stakeholders to take immediate and decisive action to empower women through financial literacy and inclusion.
The Minister spoke at an event to mark the International Women’s Day with the theme, “Accelerate Action” – Empowering Women Through Financial Literacy & Inclusion” organized by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).
The event co-sponsored by United Capital Asset Management Limited and Stanbic IBTC Asset Management, attracted financial services sector leaders, and women’s groups committed to advancing financial education and empowerment.
While commending the SEC for its pioneering efforts in championing women’s financial inclusion and literacy, she noted that “this year’s theme, ‘Accelerate Action,’ is more than a slogan; it’s a call to all of us to turn conversations into concrete actions.”
The Minister stressed the transformative power of financial knowledge, explaining that financial literacy is not just about understanding money but about providing women with the tools to make informed decisions that affect their future.
According to her, “when women are financially literate, they have the power to influence their own economic destiny, secure their families’ future, and become change-makers in society.
Despite the growing role of women in driving Nigeria’s economy, Hajia Sulaiman-Ibrahim lamented how many Nigerian women still face significant barriers while accessing financial resources and participating fully in the economy.
She listed them as: limited access to credit, exclusion from formal financial systems, and susceptibility to fraudulent schemes, following which the Minister emphasized the need for urgent actions to address such challenges.
“The Federal Government, under the leadership of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, has set an ambitious goal to empower 10 million women by 2027 as part of its broader strategy to transform Nigeria into a $1tr economy by 2030,” she added.
The Minister noted that Nigerian women are already a driving force in the economy, owning around 40% of small businesses in the country, a testament to their entrepreneurial spirit and resilience.
In response to the challenges they face, the Minister outlined key initiatives aimed at promoting women’s financial empowerment, highlighting the need to increase financial literacy among women, equipping them with the knowledge to make informed decisions about savings, investments, and wealth creation.
She also emphasized the importance of improving access to secure financial products tailored to women’s unique needs, including loans and investment opportunities.
Furthermore, she underscored the necessity of strengthening protections for women against financial exploitation, fraudulent schemes, and Ponzi schemes, which many women are vulnerable to.
Speaking earlier, the Director General of the SEC, Dr. Emomotimi Agama described the celebration of International Women’s Day an important event, because they are the ones to move the market to the next level.
He said, “What do we do in the capital market? We do so much, distribution of wealth. Every woman that has N10 makes sure she multiplies that N10 to N50. That is the nature of a woman.
“The objective of this government is to empower women, we must educate women and we will bring them to the fore of national recognition when it comes to the capital market.
“I also speak about the vulnerabilities of women, most of the ponzi schemes that we have in Nigeria, majority of the victims of these schemes are women, and the reason is very simple-the woman’s heart is empathetic. All that she thinks about is how to help her family; how to grow the provision of her family; that is all she thinks about.
“She thinks about her children, she thinks about her husband, she thinks about her father, she thinks about her mother. These are practical issues that we all are facing as we live our lives in this country.
“And so, it is very important why we speak about stock market and the ability to multiply investor and to grow investors and we also talk about the commodity market especially the stock commodity. we speak about the women,” he stressed.
Celebrating the IWD, Agama said offers an opportunity to enlighten them that “the capital market can be of help to you and how it becomes of help to you.”
He assured the Minister that the partnership between SEC and the ministry would provide financial education for women.
