Zenith Bank, Ford Foundation Honour 19 Nigerian Women with Inaugural ‘Woman of Power’ Award

Zenith Bank and Ford Foundation has honoured 19 Nigerian Women with Inaugural ‘Woman of Power’ Award.

 

NewsOnline Nigeria reports that Zenith Bank Plc, in partnership with the Ford Foundation, has honoured 19 outstanding Nigerian women with the inaugural Woman of Power Award in recognition of their resilience, leadership, and impact within their communities.

 

The awards ceremony, held on Saturday, March 28, 2026, at The Civic Centre in Lagos, marked the grand finale of Zenith Bank’s month-long activities commemorating Women’s Month. Earlier in the month, the bank had hosted an International Women’s Day seminar at the same venue.

 

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Speakers at the event praised Zenith Bank for its people-centred initiatives and commended the Ford Foundation for identifying the bank as a strategic partner in advancing women’s empowerment across different cultural and economic contexts globally.

 

The event, themed “Celebrating Resilience, Leadership, and Generosity,” recognised women drawn from Nigeria’s six geopolitical zones who have demonstrated exceptional dedication in sectors such as trade, petty manufacturing, education, and agriculture.

 

According to the organisers, the initiative aimed to spotlight unsung “Sheroes”, everyday women making meaningful contributions to their communities. These include market traders, small business owners, educators, community leaders, and healthcare workers whose roles often go unnoticed despite their significant societal impact.

 

Awardees were selected based on several criteria, including leadership, community impact, innovation, perseverance, integrity, and philanthropy.

 

Among those honoured were Mrs. Regina Amankulor, a retired nurse empowering young people in Abia State; Mary Matanmi, coordinator of the Nigeria Association of Hairdressers, Barbers and Cosmetologists in Lagos; and Ifeanyi P. Ugwueze, a guidance counsellor and life coach who continues to inspire others despite being visually impaired and currently pursuing a doctoral degree.

 

Other award recipients included Amina Musa, a trade educator in Abuja; Adenike A. Lambo, the Iyaloja of Ilorin; Sadiya Abubakar, an educator in the Federal Capital Territory; Erikan Idem Andrew, a market woman from Port Harcourt; Ngozi B. Nwankpa, a fashion designer based in Aba; Hadiza Umar, a development specialist in Kaduna; Joy C. Ezenwa, popularly known as Mama Amala, a trader in Kano; Shola Esther Babalola, founder of the Mama Sho Honey brand in Lagos; and Josephine Ugwu of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), recognised for her honesty after returning millions of naira mistakenly left behind by passengers at Murtala Muhammed International Airport.

 

In her keynote address, the Group Managing Director of Zenith Bank, Adaora Umeoji, represented by Executive Director Adobi Nwapa, applauded the awardees and reiterated the bank’s commitment to gender inclusion and women’s empowerment. She noted that the bank maintains a near 50–50 gender balance, with women occupying strategic positions across management and the board.

 

Also speaking at the event, Chichi Aniagolu, Regional Director of the Ford Foundation, described the Woman of Power Award initiative as an eye-opening experience, highlighting the remarkable but often overlooked contributions of Nigerian women to community development.

 

Both organisations pledged to sustain and expand the initiative in the coming years. Zenith Bank also used the occasion to highlight its women-focused programmes, including the Z-Woman Initiative and its 19-year sponsorship of the Nigeria Women’s Basketball League, underscoring the bank’s commitment to advancing women’s economic empowerment and inclusion nationwide.