In celebration of the 2024 International Women’s Day, themed “Invest in Women: Accelerate Progress, PalmPay, a leading pan-African fintech, with The Purple Woman initiative has trained 50 women in business and career management and rewarded three lucky participants with cash gifts.

The Purple Woman initiative is a campaign that seeks to empower women with the tools and resources to succeed in their businesses and careers, aligning with the UN Women's vision to promote gender equality and a more inclusive world.

At the training, Obianuju Odukwe, VP of Digital Ecosystems, Interswitch and Bridget Uzoma, Head of Partnerships and Digital Capabilities, Access Bank took the PalmPay Purple Women on ‘How to Navigate and Accelerate in Career and Business.’

Speaking on building relationships, Mrs Odukwe said, “If you are pursuing a career or are into business, it is important to expand your network. It is the relationships that we build that would refer to our business, or for those trying to build and grow their careers, refer them to new opportunities.”

Mrs Uzoma urged the attendees to emulate PalmPay’s sustainable business growth model of offering discounts and cashback as a strategy for customer retention, while “building strategic partnerships for their business and career growth.”

Initiatives such as this are key to addressing some of the challenges facing women. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic and conflicts, 75 million more people have fallen into severe poverty since 2020, according to UN data.

The current global economic system disproportionately affects women, with women earning 51 cents for each dollar that men earn and constituting 61.4 per cent of the prime working-age in the labour force compared to 90 per cent for men.

Immediate action remains crucial to prevent over 342 million women and girls - an estimated 8% of the world’s female population - from living in poverty by 2030, with close to one in four at risk of experiencing moderate or severe food insecurity.