Held recently at the Shell Hall, Muson Centre in Lagos, the event was themed ‘Financial Wellness: Adapt, Grow & Thrive’, and explored practical strategies for building financial resilience and achieving long-term economic stability.

Delivering her opening remarks, Solape Akinpelu, the event convener and chief executive officer of HerVest,  said;

“The journey to an equitable and prosperous society is not an isolated one. It starts with me and you and to everyone in the room whose presence embodies the possibility of equal opportunities. Financial inclusion for us is not just about access to money. Rather, it is about access to knowledge, networks, and long-term growth.”

“This year’s theme challenges us all to not just pursue success, but to be financially and emotionally prepared for the future. When I started HerVest, it wasn’t just an ambition. It was out of a quiet conviction that women’s financial growth should be normal, not extraordinary. It was born out of a desire that access, and capital should be available, woven around women’s realities and peculiarities such as the unpaid labour, biological functions leading to career and business pauses amongst others.”

Akinpelu stated further that “financial literacy and inclusion are catalysts for change. We are building an ecosystem where women are equipped with the skills and resources needed to lead financially empowered lives. We will continue to create spaces where people can learn, grow, and build a prosperous future.”

In her keynote address, the Founder of Beyond Limits Global and Former Director at Google West Africa, Dr. Juliet Ehimuan, stressed the critical need for individuals to recalibrate their understanding of wealth beyond income or status, particularly in today’s evolving economic landscape and the need to have the courage to make informed financial decisions.

“We must embrace change, harness the power of technology, and take bold steps toward economic independence. The goal is no longer just financial access, but financial adaptability,” Dr. Ehimuan said.

This year, the ValueUp 3.0 event featured three deeply engaging panel sessions that addressed entrepreneurship, career development in the digital age, and strategic wealth building.

The entrepreneurship panel, titled ‘From Side Hustle to Scalable Venture: What It Takes,’ had respected voices like popular Costume designer, Film & Television Yolanda Okereke, Guinness World-record Chef, Food Entrepreneur & Television Personality, Hilda Baci, and Founder, Caladium Consulting, Ayo-Bankole Akintujoye, share personal insights into the discipline, systems, and support structures needed to grow informal businesses into scalable ventures. Usman Imanah moderated the session, steering conversations around opportunity identification, resilience, and fundraising.

In the second panel, ‘Thriving in the Age of AI and Remote Work,’ the panel speakers including Partner, Alan and Grant Gbenga Totoyi; Head of People Strategy & Operations, Flutterwave, Victoria Vodunnu; Chief Operating Officer & Chief Financial Officer, TRACE, Ego Obiegbunam, and the Lagos State Commissioner for Youth and Social Development, Hon. Mobolaji Ogunlende, explored how the modern workforce must evolve to meet the demands of technology-driven economies.

The speakers delved into how the lines between work, purpose, and wellness are increasingly blurred, emphasising the importance of emotional intelligence, upskilling, and flexible career trajectories. The session was moderated by Tobi Alaka of Empowher NG.

The third session, ‘Wealth for the Next Generation: Investing with Purpose,’ examined the strategies for building intergenerational wealth and using money as a tool for impact. The panelists Head, Youth Banking, Wema Bank, Bunmi Ayodele; Head, Investment Banking, Meristem Capital Limited, Rasaki Salawu; the Kwara State Commissioner for Agriculture and Rural Development, Hon.  Oloruntoyosi Adebayo-Thomas, and Group Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, TVC Communications, Victoria Abiola Ajayi, unpacked the principles of financial literacy, intentional investing, and long-term financial planning. The Group Treasurer, OANDO Plc, Peju Faloye moderated the dialogue, which reinforced the idea that wealth creation should be deeply personal and purpose-driven.

A standout moment from the event was the fireside chat with popular chess advocate and Guiness World record holder, Tunde Onakoya, and celebrated leadership coach and Chief Executive Officer of IMMERSE Coaching Company, Debola Deji-Kurunmi (DDK), moderated by Solape Akinpelu.

The conversation was anchored on personal transformation and community impact, with both speakers highlighting how mastery, mentorship, and value-based leadership can serve as a compass for economic and personal growth.

Beyond the knowledge-sharing sessions, the event highlighted HerVest’s ongoing commitment to democratising financial access to women across Nigeria, particularly those in underserved communities. Having impacted over more than 10,000 female farmers and entrepreneurs across states including Borno, Plateau, Kaduna, Benue, Niger, Oyo, Kwara, and Ogun among others, the inclusive fintech platform remains at the forefront of promoting financial inclusion through its competitive savings returns, easy to access credit facilities, agro-investments, and various gender-driven financial literacy resources.

While it continues to create opportunities for financial wellness through its inclusive digital platform for its growing 80,000 members, HerVest has processed more than N3,000,000,000 billion worth of transactions on its innovative platform, providing adequate support for women farmers, entrepreneurs and those on the fringes of financial services across rural, urban, and peri-urban areas access credit, help them save, get the required literacy and other tools that foster sustainable growth and the desired financial stability.

In addition, HerVest has facilitated the farming of more than 1,235 acres of farmland to smallholder women farmers in local communities across different states in Nigeria to further bridge the financial dependence gap and light a path toward economic empowerment where no one regardless of gender or background, is left behind.

The post HerVest ValueUp 3.0 Ends with Key Lessons on Financial Wellness appeared first on Tech | Business | Economy.

The two trailblazing Nigerian entrepreneurs, the founder of Farmatrix, Manzo Nyifamu Ogechi and the Founder of Hervest, Solape Akinpelu, run start-ups that are driving impact through technology.

Other finalists include founder of FlexiBees (India), Shreya Prakash, founder of Arkangel AI (Colombia), Laura Velásquez Herrera, founder of Mama Space (Kyrgyzstan), Gulnaza Khalmanbetova, founder of Elephan (Brazilia), Thais Sterenberg de Oliveira, founder of UpLeap (Switzerland), Leonie Korn, founder Borderless (Uzbekistan), Veronica Lee, founder of Nido Contech (Chile), Loretxu García, founder of E-Reo (French Polynesia), Heiura Itae Tetaa.

Speaking on the award, Isabella Ghassemi-Smith, the head of Start-up, Aurora Tech Awards, explained that the award was conceived to support the next generation of entrepreneurs building ventures to redefine industries.

“Aurora isn’t just a tech award—it’s a launchpad for the next generation of unicorn founders in emerging markets. With funding, high-profile investor access, and a global network, we back the boldest women in tech who are building ventures that will redefine industries”, Ghassemi-Smith said.

She said the recognition of Nigerian female founders in the Aurora Tech Award 2025 highlights the growing influence of women-led start-ups in tackling societal challenges through technology.

She stressed that the recognition also underscores Africa’s role in driving innovation that promotes gender equality, financial inclusion, and economic empowerment on a global scale.

“This year’s shortlist features trailblazing founders from MENA, LATAM, Central Asia, and APAC, each leading start-ups offering solutions across industries ranging from artificial intelligence and fintech to health tech and beyond. This year’s finalists have demonstrated exceptional leadership and technological advancements in their respective fields. Half of the start-ups are at the seed stage, three projects are at the pre-seed level, and the rest are at the FFF and angel investment stages. Three start-ups focus on health tech, one on agrotech, one on eco-tech, two on ed-tech, one on fintech, and one on HR-tech,” she added.

Farmatrix, an Agro-Allied Technology Company, is transforming agriculture in Nigeria by leveraging technology to improve market access and sustainability for smallholder farmers.

Founded by Nyifamu, a certified Food System Specialist and Climate Reality Leader, the company has impacted over 3,000 farmers, reducing post-harvest losses and increasing profitability.

With a background in Computer Science and an MBA, she is committed to building a more resilient food system across Africa.

Nyifamu’s journey began when she moved from Lagos to Northern Nigeria, witnessing firsthand the challenges farmers face—from post-harvest losses to limited market access.

This inspired her to launch Farmatrix, a tech-driven platform that connects farmers to markets, financing, and storage solutions, ensuring they earn more. Unlike traditional agricultural platforms, Farmatrix integrates logistics, climate-smart inputs, and financial tools, creating a seamless farm-to-market ecosystem.

Farmatrix is advancing multiple Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), including SDG 1: No Poverty; SDG 2: Zero Hunger; SDG 8: Decent Work & Economic Growth; SDG 5: Gender Equality; SDG 9: Industry, Innovation & Infrastructure.

Another finalist from Nigeria, Solape Akinpelu, the founder/CEO, HerVest, has her start-up focused on tackling the gender equality gap in Nigeria by empowering women through inclusive financial services (SDG 5: Gender Equality).

HerVest provides targeted savings, impact investments, and credit financing to smallholder women farmers and women-led SMEs, addressing the $42 billion gender finance gap in Africa (SDG 8: Decent Work & Economic Growth).

By leveraging technology for peer-to-peer capital reallocation, HerVest connects female entrepreneurs to flexible loans and resources, enabling them to scale their businesses and achieve financial independence (SDG 9: Industry, Innovation & Infrastructure).

With women making up 41% of micro-businesses in Nigeria yet receiving less than 15% of conventional loans, HerVest is reshaping financial access by providing low-interest financing to credible female entrepreneurs and smallholder farmers (SDG 1: No Poverty).

By doing so, HerVest fosters a more inclusive financial ecosystem where women can thrive, invest, and contribute to sustainable economic growth (SDG 2: Zero Hunger).

Speaking on the award and its influence, Nyifamu noted, “Doing business in Nigeria is not for the weak, and being a woman in agritech demands even more resilience. Seeing past winner Chinwendu of Bridge Merchant Connect succeed inspired me. The Aurora Tech Award aligns perfectly with my vision for Farmatrix and scaling our impact,”.

The Aurora Tech Award is an annual global prize established in 2020 by inDrive to support and recognize women founders of early-stage technology start-ups. The award champions female entrepreneurs who drive innovation and create meaningful social impact through technology.

The finalists were selected based on their start-ups’ innovation, scalability, and social impact. A distinguished panel of industry experts and investors will evaluate their work before announcing the winner at the upcoming Aurora Tech Award Ceremony on April 11-13 in Cairo. The final pitch competition will be held at SHE CAN 2025 and will be organized by Entreprenelle.

The Aurora Tech Award recognizes the most promising female founders in emerging markets and celebrates visionary women entrepreneurs redefining the technology landscape.

The post Solape Akinpelu, Manzo Nyifamu Ogechi | Nigerian Entrepreneurs Named among Aurora Tech Award 2025 Finalists appeared first on Tech | Business | Economy.

What has come to be referred to and acknowledged globally as the International Women’s Day has a long history that dates back to the early 1900s.

Central to this all-important discuss is the progressive marched by 15,000 women in 1908, through New York City demanding shorter hours, better pay and voting rights.

As significant as this could be, the first National Woman’s Day (NWD) was observed across the United States on February 28, a feat which can be credited to the declaration by the Socialist Party of America, where women continued to celebrate the national woman’s Day (NWD) on the last Sunday of February until 1913.

Again, historical timeline is replete with landslide emphasis underscoring the critical roles of women, which eventually snowballed into the International Women’s Day celebration.

In actual sense, and for records, the year 1910, marked the second international conference of Working Women, which was held courtesy of Clara Zetkin, who proposed that every year there should be a celebration on the same day – that is, a women’s day to press their freedom.

Against this noticeable effort, in 1911, and following the decision agreed at Copenhagen in Denmark in 1911, International Women’s Day was honored for the first time in Austria, Denmark, Germany and Switzerland on 19 March, with more than one million women and men attending IWD rallies campaigning for women’s rights to work, vote, be trained, to hold public office and end discrimination.

Techeconomy can go on and on to establish and lay a sordid structure for this pertinent and all-important occasion.

But to dwarf time and contract spaces, the following touch line suffices: 1913-1914- On the eve of World War I campaigning for peace, Russian women observed their first International Women’s Day on February 23, the last Sunday in February 1917.

However, in the year 1975, International Women’s Day (IWD) was marked for the first time by the United Nations. Later on in December 1977, the General Assembly adopted a resolution proclaiming a United Nations Day for Women’s Rights and International Peace to be observed on any day of the year by Member States, in accordance with their historical and national traditions.

Has anything changed since 1996?  Yes, the United Nations Organization (UN) announced its first annual theme “Celebrating the past, planning for the Future” which was followed in 1997 with “Women at the Peace table”, in 1998 with “Women and Human Rights”, in 1999 with “World Free of Violence Against Women”, and so on each year.

Let me save the stress of a long read, nonetheless, since the late 1990s to the millennium till date, women have grown to become a force to be reckoned with.

Therefore, in concert with the commemoration of International Women’s Day globally, a celebration which the United Nations tagged “Invest in women: Accelerate progress’’ we have chosen to beam our searchlight on organizations and individuals who have not only over time championed the course of economic emancipation, but have also given a new look and fresh perspective to womanhood in Africa and become a beacon of hope to humanity at large.

Of significance is the fact we cannot boast of having given you an exclusive list of all of them, but we can be sure you would appreciate these non-governmental organizations (NGOs) contributions toward championing women’s participation in science and technology, agriculture; they are on the vanguard for women’s rights and protection, empowerment and health:

Organizations Promoting Women in STEM

The Nigerian Bureau of Statistics (NBS) estimates that only 22% of graduates in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics STEM) subjects are women.

There are many NGOs focused on promoting women’s involvement and empowerment in science, tech and STEM in general. Here are a few notable ones:

1. African Women in Technology (AWIT)

Aims to empower and support African women in technology through networking events, workshops, and skill-building programs.

2. Afro-Tech Girls

In June 2014, three young Nigerian women came together with a vision: a world where the number of women in the STEM industries has risen and women feel welcomed and appreciated for their efforts and achievements.

They realized that one way to do this was by encouraging more young girls to take up STEM subjects at secondary school and university and stick with it even after education. Hence, Afro-Tech Girls was born to increase the participation of girls and young women in STEM.

3. She Code Africa

She Code Africa offers training, mentorship, and networking opportunities for women in tech to enhance their skills and advance their careers.

4. TechHerNG

Here is a is a community of learning, support and collaboration for women working with technology.

It also a platform for encouraging entrepreneurship and providing basic support for women going into business.

TerHer also provides a platform for information sharing amongst women on basic day to day challenges with the aim of aiding empowerment and independence.

The founder believes that if women are exposed to the ways technology enables their daily activities, they will be more productive and empowered to have a voice in their community.

5. Women’s Technology Empowerment Centre (W.TEC)

Give it to W.TEC, an organzation that provides technology education, leadership training, and mentorship programs for girls and women to increase their participation in the tech sector.

6. Women in Technology in Nigeria (WITIN)

WITIN is a registered non-profit organization and association, dedicated to the advancement of women and girls.

WITIN fosters opportunities in tech; promotes tech leadership, digital skills and entrepreneurship initiatives and advocates gender equity reforms for women and girls;  and showcases the amazing women in the tech ecosystem as role model for girls while working closely with educators to bridge the leaky pipeline in STEAM(Science Technology Engineering Arts and Maths).

The NGO achieves these goals through partnerships, sponsorships  and  donations. WITIN  nurtures a very strong community of women and girls in technology within Nigeria, Africa and beyond.

7. Women in Tech Africa

A Pan-African organization that advocates for gender equality in the tech industry through networking, mentorship, and capacity-building programs.

Over the years, WiTA has strategically focused on enabling women to drive Africa’s growth story and create an impact on personal life through technology.

Currently, its target audience comprises aspiring female tech entrepreneurs between the ages of 18 and 40.

8. Nigerian Women In Information Technology (NIWIIT) is a special interest group of the Nigeria Computer Society (NCS). We are positioned to be a premier organisation known to successfully cultivate mutually beneficial Networks between industry, academia, and government, focusing on women working in Information Technology across the Nation.

Creation: (Mrs) Adeola Ilechukwu informed the National Executive Council (NEC) of the Nigerian Computer Society (NCS) at her 17th regular Council meeting on the 24th February 2012 that it would be necessary to create an Interest Group for female members of NCS

9. Women in STEM Leadership (WISL)

WISL is the premier organization for empowering women with the support and tools needed to elevate their careers and become agents of change in the STEM industry.

WISL is a network of like-minded women who are genuinely invested in helping you reach your potential.

These organizations play crucial roles in supporting and empowering women in science Nigeria, helping to break down barriers and create more opportunities for women to thrive in STEM fields.

10. Webfala Digital Skills For All Initiative (Webfala):

Webfala Digital Skills For All Initiative is not focused just on women, but they deserve a mention in this list.

The NGO has demonstrated commitment to providing digital education, resources and tools for the delivery of STEM, ICT and 21st century digital literacy skills to underserved youths in Africa. Their grassroot programmes have impacted over 20,000 people.

Organizations Promoting Women’s Health and Well-being

Nigeria’s 40 million women of childbearing age (between 15 and 49 years of age) suffer a disproportionally high level of health issues surrounding birth.

While the country represents 2.4 per cent of the world’s population, it currently contributes 10 per cent of global deaths for pregnant mothers. Figures show a maternal mortality rate of 576 per 100,000 live births, the fourth highest on Earth.

Several NGOs in Nigeria focus on promoting women’s health and well-being. Here are some notable ones:

11. Society for Family Health (SFH) –

SFH implements various health programs targeting women, including reproductive health, family planning, maternal and child health, HIV/AIDS prevention, and cervical cancer screening.

12. Wellbeing Foundation Africa (WBFA)

WBFA focuses on maternal, newborn, and child health, providing education, training, and advocacy to improve access to healthcare services for women and children.

13. Women’s Health and Action Research Centre (WHARC)

WHARC carries our research, advocacy, and capacity-building activities to address women’s health issues, including reproductive health, maternal mortality, and gender-based violence.

Executive Director: Wilson Imongan

14. Centre for Women’s Health and Information (CEWHIN)

Here is an organization that promotes women’s health and rights through advocacy, education, and awareness-raising campaigns on issues such as sexual and reproductive health, HIV/AIDS prevention, and gender-based violence.

15. Nigerian Urban Reproductive Health Initiative (NURHI)

NURHI implements family planning programs targeting urban areas, including efforts to increase access to contraception and reproductive health services for women.

These NGOs play a crucial role in addressing the health needs of women in Nigeria through various programs and initiatives aimed at improving their overall well-being and quality of life.

Organizations Promoting Financial Inclusion among Women

Data2x research uncovered important market findings – Nigeria’s gender gap in financial access grew from 10.2 percent to 12 percent between the years 2012 and 2020. Modeling conducted as part of research suggests that the gap will not drop below 10 percent until 2027.

However, some organizations are committed to reducing this number. They are dedicated to promoting financial inclusion for women. Some notable ones include:

16. Women’s World Banking (WWB) Nigeria:

WWB expands the economic assets, participation, and power of low-income women through access to finance, knowledge, and markets.

17. Nigerian Women Trust Fund (NWTF):

NWTF works to increase the representation of women in governance and decision-making processes, including economic empowerment initiatives.

18. Herconomy

Herconomy is arguable Nigeria’s first Fintech Company for women dedicated to empowering female entrepreneurs and professionals through financial services, capacity building, community, and opportunities.

19. HerVest.ng

HerVest is an inclusive fintech for women. The startup provides easy access to target savings, impact investments and credit financing for smallholder women farmers and women-owned/led SMEs in Nigeria.

Hervest is truly bridging the gender finance gap from the boardroom to the farmland.

The platform offers various services such as loans, investments, and market access solutions to support the agricultural value chain. Hervest.ng aims to empower farmers and promote sustainable agriculture by providing them with access to finance and market opportunities.

20. Mamamoni

Mamamoni is social enterprise that focuses on empowering low-income women by providing them with access to financial services, vocational training, and business support.

The organization offers microloans to women entrepreneurs, particularly those in rural and underserved communities, to help them start or expand their businesses.

In addition to financial services, Mamamoni provides training programs in skills such as tailoring, catering, and soap making, equipping women with the tools they need to generate income and improve their livelihoods.

Overall, Mamamoni plays a crucial role in promoting financial inclusion and women’s empowerment in Nigeria.

21. Shecluded

The fintech platform that provides financial services tailored to women, including savings, investments, and loans. They aim to empower women financially through education and access to suitable financial products.

These organizations and others like them play a crucial role in advancing financial inclusion for women in Nigeria through various programs, advocacy efforts, and partnerships.

Happy International Women’s Day from all of us at Techeconomy!

The post #IWD2024: 21 Organisations that Inspire Women Inclusion appeared first on Tech | Business | Economy.

As the CEO and Co-founder of Fintech company, HerVest, Solape Akinpelu has dedicated her career to improving the lives of African women through financial access and services. Her story is one of innovation, determination, and a commitment to making a positive impact.

In a recent announcement, HerVest achieved a historic milestone by becoming the first African startup to be featured in Google’s #WeArePlay Campaign. This accomplishment emphasizes the incredible work Solape Akinpelu and her team have been doing to empower women through financial inclusion.

HerVest’s mission is to provide inclusive finance to African women through goal-oriented savings, impact investing, and credit options for smallholder women farmers and women-led SMEs. With over 40,000 members, the company is dedicated to bridging the gender gap in financial services and ensuring that women have access to the financial resources they need to succeed.

Solape’s Role in the Women in Tech Global Movement

Solape Akinpelu is not just a business leader; she is also a prominent figure in the Women in Tech Global Movement. Serving as the Global Co-Chair of Marketing and the Country Manager for Nigeria, Solape is at the forefront of promoting gender diversity in the tech industry. Her work involves advocating for women’s participation in technology and fostering opportunities for women to excel in this field.

Driving Technology Trade and Investment

In addition to her endeavors at HerVest and the Women in Tech Global Movement, Solape is the Chairman of Technology at the Nigerian-British Chamber of Commerce. In this role, she plays a commendable part in promoting technology trade and investment between Nigeria and Britain. Her efforts are contributing to the growth of the tech ecosystem and fostering international collaborations.

Solape is a member of the Presidential High-Level Advisory Committee to the President of Nigeria on Women and Girls’ Economic Empowerment. Her involvement in this committee showcases her dedication to addressing gender-related economic issues and creating policies that empower women.

She also sits on the Gender Committee Desk at CBN on the Framework for Advancing Women’s Financial Inclusion, where she actively participates in shaping strategies to promote women’s financial inclusion.

A Diverse and Accomplished Background

Solape Akinpelu’s background in financial marketing is impressive. Before co-founding HerVest, she served as the Head of Marketing at Meristem, a leading investment and wealth management conglomerate in Nigeria. Her experience in financial marketing provided her with valuable insights into the industry, which she now utilizes to drive HerVest’s mission.

She is not only a business leader but also an author. She wrote the best-selling personal finance book, “Stripped: An African Woman’s Guide to Building Generational Wealth.” In this book, she shares her wisdom and insights on financial empowerment, making it a must-read for anyone seeking to secure their financial future.

As HerVest makes history with its inclusion in Google’s #WeArePlay Campaign, it’s evident that Solape Akinpelu’s vision and leadership are changing the game and shaping the future of innovative startups in Africa. 

Her passion for empowering women, combined with her diverse skill set, is an inspiration to us all. 

The post Beyond Making History at Google’s #WeArePlay Campaign, Solape Akinpelu’s Milestones appeared first on Tech | Business | Economy.

The reappointment as Technology Chair of the Exco marks a significant milestone for both the Chamber and Solape Akinpelu, who has been instrumental in implementing impactful, tech-driven and capacity focused initiatives for different cohorts to inspire and influence members on how to scale to become tech sector players. 

Solape Akinpelu’s reappointment comes at a pivotal point as both Nigeria and the United Kingdom navigate the challenges and opportunities presented by the evolving global tech ecosystem.

Her relentless dedication to promoting financial inclusion, business collaborations, tech innovations, trade partnerships, and investment opportunities has positioned the NBCC as a pivotal hub for economic growth and tech-inspired development. 

Commenting on the development, Solape Akinpelu said; “I am deeply honoured and humbled to be reappointed as a the Technology Chair of the NBCC Board’s Exco. I am committed to leveraging this opportunity to continue seek newer ways that we can adopt tech to drive growth, enhance business relationships, and ensure that the Chamber remains at the forefront of promoting excellence between Nigeria and the UK.”

She added that she will continue to bring her expertise to bear as the Chambers continues to birth new initiatives to drive investments, trade, and business growth at all levels.

Solape Akinpelu’s continued presence on the NBCC Board is anticipated to further enhance the Chamber’s ability to drive tech focused initiatives, investment opportunities, and knowledge sharing between these two dynamic economies.

The Nigerian British Chamber of Commerce (NBCC) is the foremost bilateral chamber promoting trade and investment between Nigeria and the United Kingdom. Since its inception, the Chamber has been instrumental in promoting bilateral trade relations, representing the interests of businesses, and driving sustainable economic growth.

The post HerVest CEO, Solape Akinpelu Reappointed as Technology Chair, Nigerian-British Chamber EXCO appeared first on Tech | Business | Economy.

Users of the HerVest app can now take advantage of the investment features by investing in women-led small and medium enterprises to earn competitive interest on the go. Unlike the previous investment model on the app that focused largely on agro investments, the HerVest offerings have been expanded to boost access to funding for women-led entrepreneurs by connecting them to the capital and infrastructure required to scale their businesses.

The new HerVest app also has a dollar investment feature that allows users to invest in dollar-denominated assets such as stocks, real estate, and a fixed income option to earn 10% – 14% returns in dollars. This feature protects investments from inflation and allows users to diversify their portfolios into high-quality investments to build wealth.

This is in addition to the newly integrated personal savings feature where users can earn 15% interest returns yearly, trade and investment opportunities which are now available to users via the innovative, user-friendly app.

The newly revamped HerVest app is designed to reflect a trendy modern look and feel with aesthetically appealing designs, an improved visual hierarchy across the onboarding and the app’s interface to provide a seamless experience for users, aid swift information processing and reinforce trust. 

With the HerVest app, users can now take a quick onboarding tour to gain requisite knowledge of the core functions of the app. In addition, users will have improved navigation for simpler access to the app’s features and enhanced performance.

Commenting on the development, the Chief Executive Office and Co-founder, HerVest, Solape Akinpelu said the improvement in the brand’s offerings is targeted at increasing the accessibility of its solutions to help underserved women build sustainable wealth and achieve a better, fulfilling future. “We are proud to introduce a refreshed and dynamic app built specifically to help link women to opportunities by providing them with the access to credit, trade, extension services and premium investments through a gender-focused lens,” she said.

“Access to sustainable finance is a huge challenge as more women still face the challenge of being priced out of the existing market of microfinance loans due to high operating costs of providing loans to them. However, with our members-only cooperative model backed by technology, we are able to connect and lend peer-to-peer profitability.

“Following our initial heavy concentration in the agro space, we have decided to expand and cover as many sectors as possible outside agriculture to help more women founders scale their businesses. Users of the revamped HerVest app can now access a range of financial solutions that allows them to build sustainable wealth either through a dedicated personal savings option, trade investment offerings or an optimised dollar investment which can be fixed, put in stocks or in the thriving real estate option,” Solape added.

HerVest is an inclusive fintech platform that provides financial growth services to underserved and excluded African women through target savings, impact investing and credit financing – specifically for women farmers in Nigeria. So far, HerVest has impacted over 10,000 thousand female farmers across Borno, Plateau, Kaduna, Benue, Niger, Oyo, Kwara and Ogun States.

With a mission to improve women’s lives by giving them access to and use of financial services across rural, urban, and peri-urban areas, HerVest offers savings, funds transfers, impact-investment, and credit via its platform. HerVest exists to serve Nigerian women with easy access to financial tools and services to achieve their financial goals and ultimately close the $42bn gender finance gap in Africa.

Currently, HerVest has over 30,000 women community members and is helping them achieve financial wellness through competitive returns on target savings, agro investments and gender-driven financial literacy resources. HerVest is downloadable on internet-enabled devices.

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