From Right: Coordinator, Mandela Washington Fellowship, Austin Emeanua; Head, Corporate Communications and Marketing, Union Bank, Ogochukwu Ekezie-Ekaidem;  Founder, Mamamoni Empowerment Foundation (MEF), Nkem Okocha and Trustee, MEF, Okhai Olaghere, during the launch of the Mamamoni Innovation Hub sponsored by Union Bank, in Lagos recently.

As part of its commitment to boost women empowerment, talent development, and financial inclusion, Union Bank recently partnered with MamaMoni Empowerment Foundation to set up an Innovation Hub for low-income women and girls from urban slum communities. The hub, which is located in Amuwo-Odofin area of Lagos State, was formally opened on the 21st of May, 2019.
The vocational training program has been established to enable the girls and women to build sustainable means of living. It is anticipated that each year, over 400 underprivileged beneficiaries will receive training in vocational skills such as hairdressing, make up, fashion designing, mobile farming and furniture making. Other courses to be offered at the hub include financial literacy, coding and personal branding.
Speaking at the launch of the innovation centre, Ogochukwu Ekezie-Ekaidem, Head of Corporate Communications and Marketing at Union Bank, applauded the efforts of the MamaMoni team in improving the outcomes of women in underserved communities through micro loans and empowerment schemes. She said;
“Union Bank is proud to have been a principal partner of the MamaMoni Foundation over the years. We identified this initiative as one that will help amplify our efforts to support women and drive financial inclusion. It is our hope that this innovation centre will go a long way in improving the lives of women from low-income communities and their families as they strive for a better future.”
In 2016, Nkem Okocha, founder of the MamaMoni Foundation emerged a winner in the LEAP Africa Social Innovators Programme (SIP) sponsored by Union Bank, receiving a grant of N1,000,000 to expand the MamaMoni operations. Since then, the Foundation has impacted over 6,000 women by providing them with micro loans and basic vocational and financial literacy skills.
Union Bank is committed to enabling the success of the average Nigerian and continues to champion the cause for the women empowerment. Earlier this year, the Bank launched its women’s proposition, tagged αlpher, a platform to empower women across all segments of the Nigerian society through capacity building opportunities, networking platforms, scholarships and tailored financial services.