Access Bank Plc, in partnership with the Gates Foundation and MicroSave Consulting (MSC), has announced a new initiative aimed at empowering 50,000 female Cash In and Cash Out (CICO) agents across Nigeria. The program, known as Scaling Female Agent Networks in Nigeria (SFAN), seeks to boost women’s participation in agency banking by providing training, financial support, and digital tools.
The three-year project will focus on rural and underserved areas, particularly in Northern and Central Nigeria, where access to financial services remains limited. By empowering women as agents, the initiative aims to deepen financial inclusion and enable more Nigerians to access banking services conveniently.
“Agent networks are critical to improving financial inclusion in any country,” said Akshat Pathak, Associate Partner at MSC. “Female agents, in particular, play a vital role in empowering female consumers, who often feel more confident interacting with women for both transactions and financial advice.”
Access Bank’s Senior Retail Advisor, Robert Giles, emphasized the bank’s commitment to sustainable banking and long-term impact. “Our projects are designed for the long term. We want to deliver better outcomes for our agents, who are also our customers,” Giles said.
Chizoba Iheme, Group Head of Agency Banking and Financial Inclusion at Access Bank, highlighted that the bank will support agents with loans and training. “We aim to impact 50,000 female CICO agents by empowering them to perform more transactions and by gathering gender-disaggregated data to better understand their behavior,” she explained.
The program also addresses challenges such as energy constraints in rural areas by partnering with a solar company to support agents in off-grid communities.
Funded by the Gates Foundation, the initiative will include advisory and monitoring roles to ensure its success and sustainability.
This partnership builds on Access Bank’s long-standing efforts to support women, dating back to 2013 with its Beta Proposition program, which currently maintains over 70% female participation in its Beta Friends workforce.
The Scaling Female Agent Networks in Nigeria initiative represents a significant step toward financial inclusion, empowering women to become key players in Nigeria’s growing agency banking sector.
Paystack launches new holding company
January 21, 2026
