Fidelity launches apprenticeship support initiative for women-led SMEs
Fidelity Bank Plc, has announced the launch of its apprenticeship support initiative as part of its strategy to encourage small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) led by women.
The program, which would be run under its HerFidelity proposal, would begin with a two-month fashion and design training for young women in Kano State.
Earlier in the year, the HerFidelity proposition was launched at the International Women’s Day celebration hosted by Fidelity Bank at the Civic Center in Lagos. At the event, the Bank’s Managing Director, Nneka Onyeali-Ikpe presented checks for one million naira each to five women-led SMEs from Kano, Yola, Owerri and Lagos to train young women in the fields of fashion design, cosmetics and automotive mechanics.
In conversation with reporters in Lagos, Esther Obiekwe, Group Head of SME Banking, Fidelity Bank Plc, said: “At Fidelity, our goal is to position ourselves as a platform to improve lives, help businesses to grow and economies to prosper. Whether through the financial solutions we provide to our many clients or through interventions such as our apprenticeship support and capacity building initiatives for women, we remain committed to helping our clients grow.
“We launched the HerFidelity proposition on International Women’s Day this year to meet the aspirations of every woman through four pillars, namely: capacity building, access to finance at reduced rates, health and wellness programs as well as recognition and networking events.
“Our Apprenticeship Support Initiative is one of the ways we uphold the capacity development mandate and we are delighted to launch the initiative with the training of nine young women at Mdee Fashion Design Limited in Kano State starting Monday, July 25, 2022. We are optimistic that this would go a long way in helping these women develop the required skills that would turn them into employers of labor and ultimately contribute to the economic fortunes of the country” , explained Obiekwe.
Fidelity Bank is a fully-fledged commercial bank operating in Nigeria with over 6.5 million customers served across its 250 business offices and digital banking channels.