First City Monument Bank (FCMB) has partnered with Alitheia Capital for the 2026 W.O.M.A.N. Conference, which will take place in Lagos on September 10 and 11.
Convened by Alitheia Capital, the conference will bring together about 300 women-led micro, small and medium-sized enterprises operating in manufacturing, agribusiness, nutrition and related sectors.
It will connect the entrepreneurs with financial institutions, investors, policymakers, development organisations and business leaders.
FCMB is supporting the conference as its exclusive banking partner through SheVentures, the Bank’s proposition for women-owned businesses.
The two-day event will feature expert discussions, practical learning sessions, and opportunities for participants to explore financing, investment, and market access.
It will also address governance, financial management, climate resilience, green manufacturing, and energy transition.
Nnenna Jacob-Ogogo, Group Head of Gender and Impact Sectors at FCMB, will speak at the conference alongside Oluremi Agboola, Head of SME Asset Products at FCMB.
They will provide practical guidance on preparing businesses for finance and selecting funding options suited to different stages of growth.
Jacob-Ogogo said: “Women are building businesses that create jobs, strengthen communities and contribute to Nigeria’s productive economy.
Through this partnership, we want to help more women develop the structures, knowledge and connections they need to move from running viable enterprises to building businesses that can scale.”
Agboola said the conference would help narrow the gap between entrepreneurs seeking finance and financial institutions looking for viable businesses to support.
“Access to finance begins with readiness. Businesses with reliable records, sound financial management, and clear growth plans are better positioned to secure funding.
We will help participants understand these requirements and explore financing options that match their needs,” Agboola said.
Beyond the conference, the 2026 W.O.M.A.N. programme will include cohort sessions across Nigeria’s six geopolitical zones, structured investment-readiness and access-to-finance pathways, and digital capacity building through Alitheia Capital’s Nzinga learning platform.
The programme is designed to develop a pipeline of women-led enterprises ready for debt, equity and blended-finance solutions.
It supports Nigeria’s priorities for industrialisation, MSME growth, job creation, energy transition and women’s economic participation.
Managing Partner of Alitheia Capital, Tokunboh Ishmael, said the programme was designed to tackle the structural barriers preventing women entrepreneurs from converting existing business potential into sustainable growth.
“The gathering brings an ecosystem closer together to deliver systemic strategies that overcome challenges women face in labour markets and economic empowerment,” Ishmael said.
She added that the participating businesses already had revenues, customers and growth ambitions, stressing that access remained the major constraint.
“The constraint is not ambition — it is access. W.O.M.A.N. 2026 is built to close that gap directly,” she said.
The programme is being delivered in collaboration with the Bank of Industry (BOI), the Small and Medium Enterprises Development Agency of Nigeria (SMEDAN) and the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN), alongside other private-sector and development partners.
