Union Bank Celebrates IWD, unveils Alpher Mentorship Programme

Union Bank recently marked International Women’s Day, reaffirming its commitment to women empowerment with the launch of the Alpher Mentorship Programme. The Mentorship Programme aligns firmly with the global IWD 2020 theme – Each for Equal, a call for individuals to join the push for gender parity across the world. The Mentorship scheme will provide a platform for young women to be mentored for a year by successful career women within Union Bank. Speaking concerning the IWD celebrations and the launch of the Alpher Mentorship Programme, the Head of Retail Banking and Digital, Lola Cardoso said: 

“As we join the world to celebrate International Women’s Day, we are especially proud to unveil the Alpher Mentorship Programme, an initiative which will provide young women with the support they require to thrive. Through our Alpher proposition, we will continue to support and enable success for women of all backgrounds.” A key part of the event line up was the one-woman show Naked, by the award-winning actor, Kemi ‘Lala’ Akindoju. The play shines the spotlight on the highs, lows, achievements and failures that women are faced with as they strive to forge ahead in life. 

The annual IWD celebrations at Union Bank also coincide with the anniversary of its Women Empowerment Hub (Wehub) – the Bank’s initiative established in 2016 as a platform to motivate, connect and provide support to its women.  At the IWD Celebrations last year, the Bank awarded 40 scholarships to women entrepreneurs to build their capacity through the Enterprise & Leadership Program (ELP) organised by China Europe International Business School (CEIBS) in partnership with Leading Ladies Africa.  Union Bank remains committed to women empowerment. Last year, the Bank established an innovation hub for women from low-income communities in partnership with MamaMoni Empowerment Foundation. The first set of 60 women recently graduated from the scheme, empowered with life skills to establish and run their own businesses. The Bank also recently launched Alpher its unique proposition established to ‘enable success’ and empower women across all segments of the Nigerian society through capacity building opportunities, networking platforms, scholarships and tailored financial services for women.