March 30, (THEWILL) — Zenith Bank Plc, in partnership with the Ford Foundation, on Saturday, March 28, 2026, brought to a close its month-long activities marking March as Women’s Month with the inaugural Woman of Power Award ceremony held at The Civic Centre, Lagos.
The event, which followed the International Women’s Day Seminar hosted at the same venue on March 9, 2026, was designed to recognise and celebrate exceptional women who have demonstrated resilience, leadership, and impact within their communities, despite prevailing socio-economic challenges in the country.
Themed “Celebrating Resilience, Leadership, and Generosity”, the award honoured 19 women selected from across Nigeria’s six geopolitical zones, spanning sectors such as trade, petty manufacturing, education, agriculture, and community development.
The organisers noted that the initiative was to spotlight unsung “sheroes” — everyday women whose contributions to society often go unnoticed but remain deeply transformative.
According to the sponsors, each awardee was selected based on demonstrable excellence in leadership and initiative, community impact, innovation and resourcefulness, perseverance, integrity, trustworthiness, and philanthropy.
Among those honoured were Mrs Regina Amankulor, a retired nurse empowering young people in Umuode-Nsulu community, Isiala Ngwa North Local Government Area of Abia State; Mary Matanmi, Coordinator of the Nigeria Association of Hairdressers, Barbers and Cosmetologists, Lagos State chapter; and Ifeanyi P. Ugwueze, a blind guidance counsellor and life coach who continues to excel academically while pursuing a doctorate degree.
Others included Amina Musa, a trade educator in Karonmajiji, AMAC, Abuja; Adenike A. Lambo, the Iyaloja of Ilorin; Sadiya Abubakar, an educator in Jibi (Deidei), Bwari Area Council; Erikan Idem Andrew, a market leader in 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’s Sabon Gari Market; Shola Esther Babalola, known as “Mama Sho”, founder of a natural honey enterprise in Lagos; and Josephine Ugwu, a staff member of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), recognised for her honesty in recovering and returning millions of naira mistakenly dropped by passengers at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, among several others.
In her keynote address, the Group Managing Director of Zenith Bank Plc, Dame Dr Adaora Umeoji, represented by Executive Director Adobi Nwapa, reaffirmed the bank’s commitment to gender inclusion and women’s empowerment.
She stated that “Zenith Bank’s commitment to gender inclusion is not rhetoric but one of the ethos that the bank holds very dearly”, adding that the institution maintains a near 50-50 gender balance, with women occupying strategic leadership positions, including the office of the Group Managing Director.
Umeoji further highlighted that her appointment as the first female Group Managing Director of the bank underscores its longstanding commitment to breaking barriers and advancing women’s leadership in the financial sector.
Also speaking, the Regional Director of the Ford Foundation, Chichi Aniagolu, described the Woman of Power Award as “an eye-opener”, noting that the foundation’s engagements across Nigeria revealed untapped reservoirs of talent, resilience, and leadership among women at the grassroots.
She commended Zenith Bank for its partnership and sustained commitment to social impact initiatives targeted at women’s empowerment.
Both institutions reaffirmed their commitment to sustaining and expanding the initiative in the coming years to further deepen its reach and impact.
Zenith Bank also used the occasion to highlight its women-focused initiatives, including the Z-Woman programme and its 19-year sponsorship of the Nigerian Basketball Federation Women’s Basketball League, reinforcing its position as a leading advocate for gender inclusion and economic empowerment in Nigeria.
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