The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has reaffirmed its commitment to ensuring that women; whether traders, entrepreneurs, professionals, or investors have equitable access to financial services, investment opportunities, and the necessary tools to build sustainable wealth.
The executive commissioner for corporate services, SEC, Mrs. Samiya Usman stated this at the ‘She’s Included Gender Inclusion Conference and Summit 2025,’ with the theme: ‘Breaking Barriers, Building Resilience for Sustainable Economic and Financial Inclusion.’
Usman emphasised the commission’s dedication to fostering an inclusive financial ecosystem that empowers women across all sectors, saying that as Nigeria’s apex regulator of the capital market, the SEC operates with a dual mandate: to regulate and develop the market.
In fulfilling this mandate, she noted that, the commission recognises the pivotal role financial inclusion plays in national development, saying that a financially empowered woman is an empowered household, and an empowered household is the bedrock of a prosperous economy.
She disclosed that over the years, the SEC has taken deliberate steps to ensure that the Nigerian capital market fosters inclusivity and caters to the unique financial needs of women.
“Through policy advocacy, regulatory frameworks, and partnerships, we continue to encourage the development of women-focused financial products and services. I am pleased to highlight that some of our capital market operators have heeded this call by designing tailored investment solutions.
“A notable example is United Capital’s Women Wealth for Women Fund, which seeks to empower women with wealth creation opportunities. Similarly, within the commodities market, innovative financial products have been structured to enhance women’s participation in agribusiness, an area where many Nigerian women play a critical role.
“At the mention of this summit, we mobilised our operators to key into this conference as part of their support towards financial inclusion and they are all represented here with their booths showcasing their products and ready to discuss and educate you on your investments and opportunities in the capital market. We have 6 registrars under the Institute of Capital Market Registrars (ICMR) and Fund Managers of Nigeria (FMAN),” she said.
