A tech scholarship designed to empower women entrepreneurs with digital skills, innovation design, and business growth training has been introduced by the Alternative Bank (AltBank).
The scholarship programme, which begins in November 2025, forms part of the bank’s wider Corporate Social Investment commitment to bridge gender and digital divides, equipping women with tools to scale their enterprises and strengthen their participation in the emerging digital economy.
The initiative, known as The Alternative Bank-Utiva Women in Tech Scholarship, was announced at a high-level virtual convening held recently to commemorate the International Day for Rural Women.
The virtual convening, themed Rural Women and MSMEs: Driving Sustainability, Strengthening Economies, Securing Our Shared Tomorrow, brought together thought leaders, policymakers, and development partners to celebrate, empower, and advocate for rural women across Nigeria and Africa.
“Women are the heartbeat of food systems, the lifeline of families, and the silent architects of community resilience. Empowering rural women is a moral imperative as much as it is smart economics and a cornerstone of sustainable national growth.
“The doors of The Alternative Bank remain open, ready to partner, finance ideas, and co-create sustainable solutions that empower women and strengthen communities,” the Executive Director for South at The Alternative Bank, Mrs Korede Demola-Adeniyi, stated.
Also speaking, the chief executive of Utiva, Eyitayo Ogunmola, said, “At Utiva, we believe that when women are equipped with the right digital skills, they don’t just transform their businesses they transform their communities.
“This partnership with The Alternative Bank is about creating pathways for inclusion, innovation, and long-term economic empowerment for women who are shaping the future of enterprise in Africa.”