Scaling Women’s Impact: Development Bank of Nigeria, Sterling One Foundation
—-Host WIRA Demo Day
A milestone moment awaits on November 21, 2025, as Development Bank of Nigeria (DBN), with support from Agence Française de Développement (AFD), and Sterling One Foundation host the Women Investment Readiness Accelerator (WIRA) Demo Day to showcase the innovation and growth potential of women-led enterprises in Nigeria.
The Demo Day will serve as the final stage of the WIRA program, providing women
entrepreneurs who have undergone weeks of hands-on business development training,
mentorship, and investment readiness coaching the opportunity to pitch their businesses to a room of targeted investors, development finance institutions, and strategic ecosystem partners.
WIRA was launched to bridge the long-standing capacity and financing gap faced by women-led businesses in Nigeria.
Many women entrepreneurs continue to face capital, quality advisory services, market opportunities, and networks needed to scale their enterprises, despite playing a significant role in driving economic productivity and job creation.
The programme directly responds to these gaps by equipping participants with the tools, resources, and confidence to expand and sustain their businesses in competitive markets.
investing in women-led enterprises: “
Speaking ahead of the Demo Day, Dr. Tony Okpanachi, Managing Director/CEO of Development Bank of Nigeria Plc, emphasized the importance of The WIRA program represents a strong step toward unlocking the potential of women entrepreneurs who, for too long, have been underserved. At DBN, we recognize that empowering women-led MSMEs is essential for achieving inclusive economic growth.
The upcoming Demo Day is an opportunity to showcase the innovation and resilience that these women bring to the Nigerian economy, and to connect them to partners who can help bring their ideas to scale.”
Similarly, Olapeju Ibekwe, CEO of Sterling One Foundation, noted that the Demo Day reflects the Foundation’s commitment to long-term women economic empowerment: “Our goal with WIRA has been to not only build business capacity, but to expand the pathways to funding and visibility for women entrepreneurs. The Demo Day is more than a pitch event, it is a platform that elevates women’s voices, celebrates their innovation, and links them with opportunities to grow their impact. We look forward to showcasing the remarkable progress these entrepreneurs have made.”
The event will be attended by impact investors, commercial and development finance institutions, private sector partners, and stakeholders in the women entrepreneurship ecosystem.
About the Development Bank of Nigeria
Development Bank of Nigeria was set up by the Federal Government of Nigeria (FGN) in
collaboration with global development partners to address the major financing challenges facing Micro, Small and Medium Scale Enterprises (MSMEs) in Nigeria. Its objective is to alleviate financing constraints faced by MSMEs and small Corporates in Nigeria through the provision of financing and partial credit guarantees to eligible financial intermediaries on a market-conforming and fully financially sustainable basis.
