Industry leaders and policymakers in Nigeria’s financial sector have called for a definitive shift from equality to equity, setting a strategic gaze on a 40 per cent leadership benchmark for women to ensure global competitiveness.
The call was the centrepiece of the 2026 Annual Women’s Marquee Event organised by the Association of Professional Women Bankers, themed ‘Redefining Power: Women Shaping the Future of Finance’.
The forum served as a high-level intervention to address the structural and internal barriers limiting women’s ascent to the pinnacle of the banking world.
Opening the summit, the APWB chairperson, Rafiat Onitiri, characterised the gathering as a pivotal moment for the industry, noting that traditional definitions of power are being disrupted by technology and value-driven leadership.
She said, “This gathering is more than a dinner; it is a declaration of intent to move from conversation to action. Power in finance is increasingly shifting towards those who leverage technology, build trust and create value-driven systems.”
While acknowledging the progress made in gender representation, Onitiri pointed out that women currently occupy roughly 38 to 40 per cent of leadership roles, arguing that mere numbers are no longer sufficient without institutional fairness.
“Women are redefining power across industries, not just in finance. Mentorship, executive coaching and increased board participation are critical to amplifying women’s voices in decision-making spaces,” she added.
Delivering the keynote address, the managing director of GTBank, Miriam Olusanya, emphasised that for Nigeria to remain a ‘dynamic laboratory’ for financial disruption, it must view women as the primary drivers of scale and inclusion.
“Disruption is about access, power and ultimately people. Women must be seen not just as participants but as agents of inclusion and engines of scale,” she said.
The conversation also pivoted to the technical architecture of the financial system. The Executive Director at the Nigeria Interbank Settlement System Plc, Ngover Ihyembe-Nwankwo, argued that closing the gender gap requires more than just marketing; it requires ‘intentional design’ at the infrastructure level.
“Inclusion must be embedded into infrastructure and product development, not treated as an afterthought. Closing the gender gap requires rethinking onboarding processes, strengthening agent networks and addressing structural barriers,” she said.
Validating these efforts as a core business necessity rather than a social gesture, the president of the Chartered Institute of Bankers of Nigeria, Professor Pius Olanrewaju, linked gender equity directly to national economic resilience.
He said, “Women’s empowerment is a strategic imperative for building a resilient and globally competitive financial system. We must seek measurable outcomes, including increased leadership representation and structured mentorship pathways.”
The event concluded with a consensus among leaders, including Kofo Akinkugbe of SecureID, that inclusive design is the primary tool for poverty reduction.
The stakeholders resolved that as women move from being mere participants to the ‘architects’ of the financial ecosystem, the entire sector stands to become more responsive and impactful.
In 2012, the Central Bank of Nigeria introduced the Nigerian Sustainable Banking Principles. This mandated that at least 30 per cent of board seats and senior management positions in banks be occupied by women.
By targeting 40 per cent, the APWB is signalling that the industry is ready to exceed the floor set by the regulator 14 years ago, reflecting a shift from compliance to competitive advantage.
Data from Enhancing Financial Innovation & Access has historically shown a significant ‘gender gap’ in financial inclusion, where men have more access to bank accounts and credit than women.
By: Jide Ajia
