IWD: PalmPay Deepens Women’s Inclusion With Purple Woman 3.0

Fintech firm PalmPay has reaffirmed its commitment to gender inclusion in the financial technology ecosystem by hosting Palmpay PURPLE WOMAN 3.0, an empowerment programme designed to train and retain women for leadership roles within the sector.

Speaking at the Purple Women 3.0 event in Lagos to commemorate International Women’s Day, managing director of PalmPay Nigeria, Chika Nwosu, said the initiative reflects the company’s desire to see more women rise to leadership positions in the fintech industry.

According to him, empowering women economically would have a broader impact on society and national development.

“Money in the hand of a man feeds a family, but money in the hand of a woman feeds a generation. So we believe that if we can empower more women in society, definitely society is going to be better,” he said.

Additionally, Nwosu noted that the programme is open to women nationwide through an online registration process. He explained that although the company’s head office is in Lagos, the initiative targets participants from across Nigeria.

He added that 10 women emerged as winners in the current edition, as in previous editions, noting that participants from earlier programmes have since been retained in the organisation after their internships.

Similarly, PalmPay’s head of Human Resources, Iwuala Anthony, said the selection process was merit-based and transparent, with candidates undergoing rigorous evaluation before the final selection was made.

“We believe in equity and equality and following the right process as a company. We believe in people who have skills and talent, so we ensure that we select qualified people,” Anthony said, adding that applicants were required to attend classes and take tests before they were ranked.

Additionally, he disclosed that the ten successful candidates would be drafted into key departments of the organisation, including marketing, human resources, administration, product development, sales and business intelligence.

According to him, the participants would undergo six months of structured mentorship and on-the-job training under experienced staff within the organisation before their performance is evaluated.

On her part, director of the Enterprise Development Centre at Pan-Atlantic University, Nneka Okekearu, said her session during the programme focused on self-awareness and confidence building among women, noting that many women are often limited by societal stereotypes.

Commenting, the chief executive officer of Hydrogen Payment Services Company Ltd, Kemi Okusanya, urged women to take advantage of opportunities in technology and product development, stressing that the industry needs more female perspectives to close existing innovation gaps`.