First Bank to hold confab, pegs N1m SMEs contest

First Bank of Nigeria Limited said it is set to hold the fourth edition of its annual FirstGem Conference, where entrepreneur customers will have the opportunity to pitch ideas and could win N1 million seed fund.

In a statement, the bank said at the event tagged, FirstGem 4.0, the business ideas would be judged by the following criteria; Originality, Feasibility, Good presentation skills and Sustainability.

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The virtual event themed, ‘The Art of Negotiation’ and convened to provide women with insights on the secrets of wealth management, investment and savings’ would hold on Wednesday, it noted.

The product, FirstGem, is an account designed specifically to meet the needs of women, aged 18 years and above. FirstGem account owners have access to mouth-watering discounts at merchant outlets (spas, salons, grocery stores) that offer lifestyle products and services.

The guest speakers would include Mrs Ibukun Awosika, Chairman, Board of Directors of the bank; Prof Pedro Videla – Prof. of Economics at IESE Business School and Prof Mehta Kandarp, Senior Lecturer, IESE Business School.

Commenting, the Deputy Managing Director, FirstBank, Mr Francis Shobo, said:  “Through these activities, we spearhead the call on the need to promote women inclusiveness in the country as the role they play towards the continued socio-economic growth and development of any given society cannot be overemphasized.”

FirstGem was launched in October 2016, and has connected to over 61,293 members on its online portal, while empowering women across Nigerian states and the United Kingdom.