Polaris Restates Commitment To Women’s Empowerment

The managing director of Polaris Bank, Kayode Lawal, has said the Bank’s two decades of unflinching commitment to women’s empowerment initiatives have entrenched a corporate culture that guides its operations and service to customers and communities.

Lawal revealed this at a seminar organised by the Bank to commemorate the 2026 International Women’s Day (IWD) celebrated annually worldwide on March 8. Themed ‘Gender Equity as Business Imperative: The Give to Gain Advantage’, the seminar had in attendance women drawn from all walks of life, including customers.

Lawal stated that the Bank holds dear its commitment to creating an enabling environment where women can thrive professionally and financially.

“This theme speaks to a timeless truth that the greatest progress societies make often begins with what we are willing to invest in others. When we give opportunities, we gain innovation. When we give support, we gain resilience.

And when we give women the tools to thrive, we gain stronger families, stronger institutions, and stronger economies,” he said.

Speaking further, the Polaris Bank boss noted, “in detail several women-focused intervention programmes the Bank had spearheaded. These include breast cancer advocacy, financial partnerships for female entrepreneurs, girl-child education and others.

“One of the clearest demonstrations of this commitment is our over two decades of leadership in breast cancer advocacy in Nigeria. Long before health awareness campaigns became common in the corporate landscape, our bank had already begun championing the fight against breast cancer- supporting awareness drives, community education, and screening initiatives across the country.”

He noted that “Polaris Bank has remained a strong financial partner to women entrepreneurs, particularly within the SME sector. Through targeted financing, advisory services, and enterprise support, we continue to empower women-owned and women-led businesses with the resources they need to grow, scale, and succeed.”

The executive director of the Bank, Abimbola Ozomah said the Bank sees women empowerment beyond performative corporate social responsibility but as a strategic imperative.

“At Polaris Bank, we firmly believe that empowering women is not merely a social responsibility; it is a strategic imperative. When women rise, institutions grow stronger, perspectives become richer, and innovation flourishes. This is why gatherings such as this are not symbolic exercises for us; they are deliberate platforms designed to ignite conversations, build confidence, and shape the future leadership of our organisation,” Ozomah added.

The lead speaker for the seminar, Tomi Somefun, while speaking on the concept and importance of gender equity, said organisations seeking to be forward-looking, competitive and innovative must see it as essential, not optional.

Drawing from the Give to Gain theme, the immediate past MD/CEO of Unity Bank, Tomi Somefun charged women to see every given opportunity as an investment that must yield returns.