By Funmi Ogundare
The President, Association of Professional Women in Engineering (APWEN), Mrs. Funmilola Ojelade, has stressed the need to enhance the capacity of the girl-child, saying that the move would impact the immediate environment.
Ojelade, who said this recently at the third Nkechi Isigwe annual lecture with the theme ‘Capacity Building’, to commemorate the International Day of the Girl-child, said the girl-child must stand up against all limitations on their way to progress.
She said the lecture serves to honour one of its founding members, who also served as the second president of the association, as well as help fulfil its mandate as an educational organisation. She said the association will continue to sustain it.
“The theme for this year’s public lecture is a subject that is dear to the heart of today’s honoree, Nkechi Isigwe, who passionately desires to see others, especially the younger ones, be the best they can be. That should tell you something about APWEN’s educational programmes in encouraging the girl-child to become engineers. we are living the vision of our founding mothers, “she said.
In her remarks, Isigwe said since Africa has the youngest demography of people, there is need to continue to champion efforts towards creation of jobs.
“We need to develop the capacity of women to pay for their own children. If we are able to develop the capacity of women, we will rule the world. The capacity building is directed towards job creation because we have lots of young people and we need to create jobs.”
