Airtel Africa Foundation, working through Airtel Nigeria, has expanded its “Empower Her” programme, onboarding more than 2,000 women into formal financial systems across six locations: Lagos, Abuja, Oyo, Akwa Ibom, Enugu and Kano. The initiative combines financial literacy training with practical access to digital wallets, agent banking and, for selected participants, micro-grants and point-of-sale devices.
The first phase of Empower Her, which wrapped earlier in 2026, focused on moving women-run micro and small businesses from informal, instinct-driven operations toward more structured financial practices. Training covers budgeting, savings, pricing, record-keeping and responsible borrowing, paired with hands-on onboarding to mobile money and agent networks.
Around 41 percent of Nigerian women remain financially excluded, compared with 33 percent of men, and roughly 20 million women use no formal financial service. Many who do participate rely on informal savings groups rather than regulated institutions, limiting their ability to build credit histories or access formal loans. Airtel Africa Foundation Chairman Segun Ogunsanya has framed the programme as economic strategy rather than pure charity, pointing to the multiplier effect when women gain better control of their income streams.
Empower Her sits within the Foundation’s wider FEED strategy (Financial Inclusion, Education, Environmental Sustainability and Digital Inclusion). In its FY26 annual report the Foundation reported committing $6.2 million across 14 African markets. Separate digital-skills efforts in Nigeria have also targeted women, including the DigiLeap Women in Tech programme that is training 200 young women from underserved communities in Lagos in product design, software development, digital marketing and data analytics.
For Airtel, the programmes align commercial and social goals. Expanding the number of women who use formal digital financial services grows the addressable market for Airtel Money while addressing a persistent gender gap in access. The practical test will be whether the training and tools translate into sustained use of formal accounts, improved business records and, for those who receive grants or devices, measurable growth in their enterprises.
