Funmi Ogundare
The Association of Professional Women Engineers of Nigeria (APWEN) is set to create a collaborative ecosystem where female engineering students, young engineers and professional women engineers can access resources, exchange knowledge, and develop innovative solutions to address societal challenges through the launch of its resource, technology, and innovation hub.
The chairwoman of the Lagos chapter of the association, Mrs. Atinuke Owolabi, disclosed this recently at her inauguration as the 10th chairperson in Lagos to commemorate International Women’s Day, themed ‘Empowering Women Through Economic Inclusion for an Equitable Future’.
In her acceptance speech, she explained that the hub will serve as a nucleus for collaboration, learning, and innovation and give its members and aspiring engineers access to cutting-edge resources to enhance their skills and capabilities as part of the association’s 2023-2025 strategic plans.
The technology and resource hub, she noted, is named after the President of the UNILAG Alumni Association Worldwide and the Executive Director (Network) of Niger Delta Power Holding Company, Engr Ife Oyedele.
“APWEN Lagos chapter is embarking on groundbreaking initiatives to establish vibrant resource, technology, and innovation hub aimed at empowering female engineering students, young engineers, our members and driving technological innovation in Lagos, Nigeria. The initiative is made possible through the generous donation of a 200-capacity hall by the Faculty of Engineering at the University of Lagos,” she stated.
The chairperson noted that the hall would be used for capacity-building workshops, research and development, entrepreneurship incubation, community engagement, and partnerships and sustainability to leverage strategic partnerships with government agencies, corporate sponsors, academia, and non-government organisations.
Owolabi also disclosed that the chapter will launch the ‘Innovator of the Year award for female engineering students’ to recognise and celebrate outstanding female engineering students who have demonstrated exceptional innovation, creativity, and leadership in their academic pursuits.
This initiative, she noted, will be held annually in April.
According to her, this initiative is generously sponsored by another inspiration, the chairman of Momas Engineering Company, Dr Kola Balogun, a visionary in indigenous technological advancement.
The award is named the Momas Innovator Year Award for Female Engineering Students. This initiative aims to encourage and inspire female engineering students to pursue excellence in their studies and to foster a culture of innovation within the engineering community.
She stressed, “By recognising and rewarding their achievements, the award aims to motivate more females to actively participate and excel in the field of engineering.”
APWEN Lagos chapter, Owolabi stated, aimed to collaborate with both federal and state governments to foster innovation and carry out various initiatives for the professional growth of young female engineers that would advance gender equality in the field.
In her remarks, the President of APWEN, Dr. Adebisi Osim, explained that this year’s International Women’s Day theme was a call for all to invest in women, which would accelerate progress in society and the world as a whole.
In her lecture titled ‘Empowering Women through Economic Inclusion for an Equitable Future’, the Guest Speaker, Dr Tinuade Sanda, stated that achieving women’s economic empowerment requires the collaboration of various stakeholders, including government, businesses, NGOs, and community advocates.
She added that it was imperative to eliminate systemic barriers to women’s economic participation, recognising that empowerment is key to creating resilient and thriving societies.
