Layal Jade Tinubu Empowers 20 Women-Led Businesses with ₦70 Million in Grants at Be Empowered 2025 Summit

Layal Jade Tinubu Empowers 20 Women-Led Businesses with ₦70 Million in Grants at Be Empowered 2025 Summit

The second edition of Be Empowered, hosted by Layal Jade Tinubu in collaboration with the Noella Foundation, took place on Saturday, April 12th, 2025, in Lagos, Nigeria, bringing together over 150 guests for a transformative summit focused on empowering women-led businesses.

This year’s event saw over 2,500 applicants, from which 200 entrepreneurs were shortlisted to attend. The top five finalists pitched live before a panel of judges on Thursday, April 10th, while the remaining winners were selected based on application strength and program engagement.

₦70 Million in Business Grants

At the end of the summit, nine (9) grant winners were announced, including the top pitch participants. Following further assessments, eleven (11) more attendees were selected to receive grants, bringing the total number of recipients to 20.

The grant pool, worth over ₦70 million, was awarded not just as capital but also as part of a rigorous five-week bootcamp. Participants received expert training in strategic planning, financial management, operations, and scalability.

“These financial empowerments are not just handouts—they are tools to help these women start, sustain, and scale their businesses,” Layal Tinubu shared during her keynote speech.

Summit Highlights

Speakers at the summit included:

• Elizabeth Isiorho, Founder of BETH Model Management

• Ibiyinka Ibru, CEO of Moneystart

A fireside chat featured Layal Tinubu herself, who opened up about her journey from the corporate world to entrepreneurship and her experiences balancing family with business. She also emphasized the importance of vision, resilience, and community support for female founders.

Lasting Impact

Previous grant recipients from Be Empowered 2024 returned to testify to the programme's lasting impact, highlighting how the combination of funding and intensive training helped them refine business structures and pursue clarity-driven growth.

“A correctional facility must correct, not condemn. Justice without dignity is injustice in disguise.” — Layal Tinubu

By combining financial support with intensive learning, the Be Empowered initiative is fast becoming one of Nigeria’s most impactful platforms for female entrepreneurship development.

Stay tuned to Gisttrend for more updates on the winners and their journeys.