FirstBank, Ekiti State partner on innovation support fund
FirstBank has partnered with Ekiti State Government in launching Innovation Enterprise Support Fund, a groundbreaking initiative designed to empower startups, scale tech-enabled businesses, and accelerate innovation-driven economic growth across the
FirstBank has partnered with Ekiti State Government in launching Innovation Enterprise Support Fund, a groundbreaking initiative designed to empower startups, scale tech-enabled businesses, and accelerate innovation-driven economic growth across the state.
The programme provides funding, mentorship, and market access to high-potential enterprises, with a focus on strengthening Ekiti’s innovation ecosystem, creating jobs, and supporting youth, women, and underserved communities. Notably, at least 40 per cent of the fund has been reserved for female-led enterprises.
The Innovation Enterprise Support Fund Initiative is structured as a three-phase programme covering ideation, pre-acceleration, and acceleration for about 60 startups. Each enterprise will receive financial support ranging from N150,000 to N1.2 million, enabling job creation, revenue generation, and market-ready product launches.
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Managing Director, FirstBank Group, Olusegun Alebiosu, said entrepreneurship and innovation are two of our core values at FirstBank.
He said the partnership aligned with FirstBank’s longstanding commitment to financial inclusion, SME development, and youth empowerment, with an emphasis on supporting women entrepreneurs, who represent 35 per cent of Nigeria’s startup cohort.
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According to him, FirstBank has been a consistent promoter and supporter of the innovation ecosystem and SMEs in Nigeria, providing notable interventions to help them scale their platforms and businesses.
He said the bank has designed multiple digital platforms for its SME customers to leverage on for business growth and expansion.
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He said: “We believe MSMEs are enablers of economic growth and for 132 years, we have stood beside Nigerian businesses through every phase of growth, transition and transformation.
“We have remained committed to building stronger business through improved access to finance and capacity building; we created the SME Connect Platform to serve as a digital hub where Nigerian entrepreneurs find the resources to move from vision to value.
“We are excited about this partnership, and we see more than startups. We see future industry leaders, employers of labour, and perhaps our next big partners”.
