Zenith Bank, Ford Foundation Celebrate Grassroots Heroines with Inaugural ‘Woman of Power’ Awards
By Rashidat Olushola Okunlade
Zenith Bank Plc, in partnership with Ford Foundation, has honoured 19 exceptional Nigerian women at the maiden edition of its Woman of Power Award, spotlighting unsung heroines driving impact across grassroots communities.
The award ceremony, held on Saturday, March 28, 2026, at the The Civic Centre, marked the grand finale of the bank’s month-long activities commemorating Women’s Month. It followed an earlier International Women’s Day seminar hosted at the same venue on March 9.
Themed “Celebrating Resilience, Leadership, and Generosity,” the initiative recognised women drawn from Nigeria’s six geo-political zones, spanning sectors such as trade, petty manufacturing, education, and agriculture. The awardees were celebrated for demonstrating exceptional resilience, leadership, and sustained community impact despite prevailing economic challenges.
Speakers at the event commended Zenith Bank for its people-focused initiatives and lauded the Ford Foundation for identifying the bank as a strategic partner in advancing support for women navigating diverse cultural and economic realities.
Organisers described the award as a platform to amplify the voices and contributions of everyday women—market traders, small-scale entrepreneurs, educators, healthcare workers, and community leaders—whose efforts often go unnoticed but remain critical to societal development.
Among the honourees were Mrs Regina Amankulor, a retired nurse empowering youths in Abia State; Mary Matanmi, Lagos State coordinator of the Nigeria Association of Hairdressers, Barbers and Cosmetologists; and Ifeanyi P. Ugwueze, a visually impaired guidance counsellor and doctoral candidate.
Others recognised include Amina Musa, a trade educator in Abuja; Adenike A. Lambo, Iyaloja of Ilorin; Sadiya Abubakar, an educator in the FCT; Erikan Idem Andrew, a Port Harcourt-based trader; Ngozi B. Nwankpa, a fashion designer in Aba; Hadiza Umar, a Kaduna-based development specialist; and Josephine Ugwu of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), celebrated for her integrity in returning millions of naira lost by passengers at Lagos airport.
In her keynote address, the Group Managing Director of Zenith Bank, Adaora Umeoji—represented by Executive Director Adobi Nwapa—reaffirmed the bank’s commitment to gender inclusion, describing it as a core institutional value rather than mere rhetoric. She highlighted that the bank maintains a near-equal gender balance, with women occupying key leadership roles, including the position of Group Managing Director.
Also speaking, Chichi Aniagolu noted that the initiative revealed the vast and often untapped potential of Nigerian women, describing the selection process as both inspiring and enlightening.
Both organisations pledged to sustain and expand the initiative in the coming years, reinforcing their shared commitment to advancing women’s empowerment nationwide.
Zenith Bank also used the occasion to promote its women-focused initiatives, including the Z-Woman programme and its 19-year sole sponsorship of the Nigeria Basketball Federation Women’s League, underscoring its leadership in driving gender inclusion and economic empowerment across Nigeria.
