Layal Jade Tinubu awarded business grants worth over ₦70 million to 20 women entrepreneurs through the second edition of the Be Empowered initiative, in partnership with the Noella Foundation. The event occurred on Saturday, April 12, 2025, in Lagos, Nigeria, hosting over 150 guests for a summit focused on strengthening women-led enterprises. The 2025 edition had more than 2,500 applications from across the country. From this pool, 200 business owners were shortlisted to attend the summit, and five finalists were invited to pitch their businesses to a panel of judges on Thursday, April 10. Nine winners were announced at the summit from the pitch session and applications, and an additional 11 participants were later selected for grants, bringing the total recipients to 20.

Layal Tinubu, also the Founder and Managing Director of Tots Toys and Co-founder of the Noella Foundation, emphasized the importance of empowering women economically, stating that the financial empowerment would help them start, sustain, and scale their businesses. The summit included sessions with business leaders like Elizabeth Isiorho, Founder of BETH Model Management, and Ibiyinka Ibru, CEO and Lead Financial Advisor at Moneystart. A fireside chat with Tinubu discussed her entrepreneurial journey, her transition from corporate life, and her experience balancing business and family.

Participants from the 2024 edition shared their progress, noting the program transformed their businesses. They described how grant funding and a focused bootcamp enabled them to build stronger structures, improve operations, and pursue business growth with greater clarity. This year’s 20 grant recipients completed a five-week boot camp prior to the summit, with training on strategic planning, financial management, operational efficiency, and scalability, delivered by experts. The Be Empowered initiative aims to provide more than just funding by equipping women entrepreneurs with the tools and knowledge needed to build resilient, long-term businesses.