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INSIDE COWRYWISE OAU FINANCE WEEK CONFERENCE: INSIGHTS AND IMPACT



On May 21st, 2025, Cowrywise OAU held its Finance Week Conference, a key aspect of the five-day Finance Week. The conference brought students, financial experts, and community leaders to discuss smart money habits and fintech solutions. It centred on the encompassing theme, ‘Financial Independence for the Next Generation.’


Keynote Session 1: Esther Ejike on Leveraging Technology to Craft Your Personal Finance Journey


Esther Ejike, a.k.a Financial Sabi, a personal finance expert, delivered an engaging keynote that emphasized building financial stability using fintech apps. She highlighted the psychology of spending, referencing Parkinson’s Law: ‘A man’s expenses will always rise to meet his income.’ She urged participants never to leave their financial lives to chance, and most importantly, to start with clarity, not comparing their financial journey to the next person.


Her keynote explained the process of a personal finance self-review, challenging the audience to start where they are. She talked about the importance of setting SMART money goals, as that would make it easier to achieve one's financial goals. Additionally, she introduced the Pay Yourself First (PYF) strategy, stating that it would help the audience maintain consistency in their savings and investing game.


Finally, she emphasized that using fintech tools like Cowrywise would help automate savings to promote consistency. The session was well-rounded, with the speaker connecting to her audience through personal stories of financial mistakes.


Panel Session 1: The Quiet Power of Community in Personal Success


This session, which was moderated by Stephen Babatunde (Co-Team Lead, Cowrywise), focused on how involvement in community activities plays a significant role in shaping personal and financial success. Panellists included:


• Mercy Akande (President, JCIN OAU)

• Adesina Jubril (President, Student Finance Club)

• Aramide Adebesin (Lead, Data Science Nigeria – OAU Chapter)


Each panellist shared stories of how their communities opened access to mentorship, visibility, and opportunities they would never have gotten if they hadn't harnessed the power of community. From winning a Finance Contest to initiatives like FoodyLens (an AI-powered food identification project), the session revealed how community can increase one's credibility and confidence. The panellists urged attendees to quit being backseaters in communities and take up responsibility.


Keynote Session 2: Timileyin Joel on Smart Investing for Students


In his keynote, Timileyin Joel broke down the transformation of investing—how it has moved from paper-based forms to being app-based, including three-click systems like Cowrywise offers.


He walked attendees through his investment journey—from buying his first stocks at 19 to having a diversified investment portfolio in 2024. He concluded by emphasizing time as the most powerful asset for students, stating the truism:


‘The best time to start was yesterday. The next best time is now!’


Panel Session 2: The Student Wealth Journey


This powerful session, moderated by Ikeoluwa Fajuyi, featured:


• Suleman Hezekiah

• Praise Adegoju

• Feyisayo Awopetu

• Eunice Joel


The panellists shared their journeys of building wealth through skills, resilience, and consistency. They addressed the highs, lows, and in-between of their money-making journey, emphasizing the importance of taking reasonable risks, standing as your unique self, and staying consistent. They encouraged students to recognise their strengths and major in them, noting that wealth, which can sometimes be value, isn't built in a day.


The Cowrywise Finance Week Conference was not just any event, but a movement towards making money, managing money, and multiplying money (MMM). Students left encouraged with the drive to actively participate in communities and maximise their financial potential.

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