The second edition of Be Empowered! by Layal Jade Tinubu and the Noella Foundation held on Friday and from the moment the doors opened, it was clear that this wasn’t just another women-in-business event. It was something deeper. Something richer. Something with real, tangible impact.
Young women filled the elegantly decorated venue, the air buzzing with quiet anticipation. This beyond note-taking, it was about access to knowledge, mentorship, and most importantly, capital.
The day kicked off with a warm welcome from the host and a quick overview of the Be Empowered mission. Layal Tinubu, affectionately known as Mrs T, gave a short but powerful speech, reminding everyone why this initiative exists: to help women in enterprise start, sustain, and scale their businesses boldly.
Then came Elizabeth Elohor, founder of Beth Model Management Africa. In an honest one-on-one session, she walked the audience through the power of thinking big, the necessity of multiple income streams, and the importance of resilience. Every word dripped with real-world experience, and the room of young female entrepreneurs soaked it in.
Next up was Ibiyinka ‘Ibi’ Ibru, a certified financial educator and CEO of Moneystart, who didn’t come to sugarcoat. In a sharp, practical session, she broke down the uncomfortable truths of business finance, why earning doesn’t mean wealth, how to understand your balance sheet, and the difference between being busy and being profitable. Her clarity was refreshing. The room nodded along in agreement, some took furious notes, others just sat still processing.
Layal Tinubu later took the floor again for a Q&A that quickly became one of the most heartfelt moments of the day. She shared her personal journey, how to know when to leave a 9-to-5, why passion must meet strategy, and the critical importance of rest and boundaries. “You’re not your business,” she reminded them. “You’re the visionary behind it.”
Then came the testimonies from the previous year’s grant winners. Boy, oh boy! there wasn’t a dry eye in the room. One after the other, they shared how the Be Empowered grant had helped them 10x their revenue, expand into new markets, hire more staff, and so on.
The highlight of the day? A disbursement of N60 million in business grants to nine outstanding female entrepreneurs. The smallest grant was N3 million. The largest? A staggering N10 million. The cheers, hugs, tears and applause that followed said it all, this was life-changing.
To close, a surprise birthday cake was presented to Mrs T, and her mum was honored with a special award. Photos were snapped. Dreams were sparked.
Be Empowered! 2025 went beyond gathering women to talk about business. It handed them the tools and the cheques to go out and build it. In a country where women still struggle for access to capital, mentorship, and visibility, this initiative is rewriting the script. And the ripple effects? They’re just beginning.
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