Prime Highlights

• FirstBank hands out ₦10 million in grants to women entrepreneurs under first-ever Spark A Gem Challenge.  

• Programme extends FirstGem ecosystem support to hundreds of women-led businesses across Nigeria.  

Key Facts

• Competition draws 356 applications; Onyinye Obayi wins top ₦5 million prize.  

• Second, third place winners receive ₦3 million, ₦2 million respectively. 

Background

FirstBank handed out ₦10 million in grants to standout female business owners under its first-ever Spark A Gem Challenge, while also extending long-term business support to hundreds of women entrepreneurs through its FirstGem platform.

The bank launched the initiative under its Women-Preneur Pitch-a-Ton programme, giving women-led businesses funding, training, mentorship and networking opportunities.

The competition pulled in 356 applications from women entrepreneurs across Nigeria, covering agriculture, healthcare, education, food processing and hospitality.

After a screening round, eight finalists made it to the final stage, where they went through a four-day entrepreneurial development programme before pitching their businesses to an independent panel of judges.

Onyinye Obayi, Managing Director of Honeypot Confections Ltd, walked away as the overall winner, taking the top prize of ₦5 million. The second and third-place winners received ₦3 million and ₦2 million respectively, rounding out the ₦10 million grant pool.

FirstBank said the programme’s reach goes beyond the winners, with every applicant now part of its FirstGem ecosystem, gaining access to future financing, business advisory services and financial education built around women entrepreneurs.

Chuma Ezirim, Group Executive for e-Business and Retail Products at FirstBank, said backing women-owned businesses sits at the heart of the bank’s push for inclusive economic growth, pointing to their role in job creation and community development.

He added that Spark A Gem pairs capital with mentorship, capacity building and strong business networks, putting FirstBank forward as a long-term growth partner for women.

The bank described the programme as a business acceleration platform that builds entrepreneurs’ managerial capacity and investment readiness while feeding into Nigeria’s wider economic development.