SEC To Boost Gender Equality On Capital Market Literacy

The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), in its commitment to developing the capital market and increasing participation among Nigerians, is set to train selected women in capital market literacy through its training arm, the Nigerian Capital Market Institute (NCMI).

The director-general of SEC, Dr. Emomotimi Agama, disclosed this initiative during a meeting with the Minister of Women Affairs, Hajia Imaan Suleiman-Ibrahim. The meeting was part of SEC’s activities to commemorate International Women’s Day 2025 under the theme: ‘Women: The Voice of the Capital Market’.

Agama stated that the Commission has decided to take advantage of the IWD celebration to raise more awareness on the participation of women in the capital market.

According to him, in all we do, protection is key, and investor education is also very important. We pledge to support the work you are doing by offering to provide financial knowledge to women.

We will offer financial education at the NCMI to selected women once in a month.

“Women have been left out of the capital market for too long, they need to be empowered. The $1 trillion dollar economy being proposed by President Bola Tinubu cannot be possible without women. If you want to grow this market today, one of the greatest apostles will be women. There is a multiplication for everything you give the woman. Commodities trading is mainly done by women, they are involved in buying and selling of different kinds of commodities.”

The SEC DG sought the collaboration of the Ministry to attract more Nigerian women to the capital market adding that the task ahead is enormous and the Commission is ready to give all that is required in ensuring that women are not left out.

The minister of Women Affairs, Hajia Imaan Suleiman-Ibrahim said the Ministry is ready to collaborate with the Commission to ensure the Nigerian women partake in the benefits of investing in the capital market.

She stated that “women alone can help achieve the $1 trillion economy. We are on the right track and we are already seeing positive results with the increase in allocation.

“The topic you have chosen for IWD excites me because in enabling opportunities for others, you also enable it for yourself. We are working with all the relevant agencies for digital inclusion, access to finance among others for women.  We are collaborating with the financial sector on getting single digit interest rates for women.

Also, executive commissioner, Legal and Enforcement of the SEC, Frana Chukwuogor urged women to shun schemes that offer unreasonably high returns as they are only out to fleece unsuspecting Nigerians.

She explained that “Ponzi schemes are illegal investment behaviors that build on nothing. We need to enlighten Nigerians about the dangers of Ponzi and we think going all out to enlighten women will make our job easier.”