2024 THE FOUNDER’S ADDRESS: ANNUAL LEADERSHIP AND MENTORING CONFERENCE
Distinguished guests, ladies, and gentlemen,
It gives me great pleasure to welcome you to the 2024 WISCAR Annual Leadership and Mentoring Conference. This event marks the culmination of the activities of this year for the Women In Successful Careers (WISCAR). It is intended to showcase the achievements of our mentorship, leadership training, and advocacy initiatives.
This year, we deepened our advocacy efforts, forging strategic partnerships focused on women’s leadership and the implementation of the Women Economic Empowerment Policy, Nigeria’s current premier framework for advancing women’s economic participation.
We have continued to refine our work in alignment with our vision: to develop women to build a better nation, and our revised mission: to elevate women into leadership roles through structured mentorship, career development, and advocacy, driving gender-equitable policies across public, private, and development sectors.
It is deeply sobering that, even as we approach the 30th anniversary of the Beijing Declaration in 2025, the realities for women and girls in Nigeria remain bleak. Nigeria’s ranking on the World Economic Forum’s Gender Gap Index is poor, ranking in the top 10% of countries with the highest gender discrimination on the OECD’s Social Institutions and Gender Index. These indicators highlight enduring systemic challenges such as discriminatory family codes, restricted access to resources, and limited civil liberties for women. Although a signatory to international conventions such as the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW), implementation within Nigeria remains utterly inadequate.
Your presence here is testament to our shared commitment to advancing human rights, bridging the gender equality gap, and fostering global peace and progress. As President Halla Tómasdóttir of Iceland has said, “Nothing works when women are not at work”. As Iceland is one of the most gender-equal and peaceful nations on earth, we must take the respected President’s words very seriously.
For over 16 years, WISCAR, in collaboration with partners, donors, and sponsors, has worked tirelessly to build women’s capacity for leadership. Through our flagship WIN-with-WISCAR Mentoring Programme, masterclasses, and strategic advocacy efforts, we have equipped a significant number of women with the skills and competencies to excel, both professionally and personally.
Highlights of 2024 Achievements
Mentoring Programmes
This year, we graduated several cohorts of mentees from the WIN-with-WISCAR Programme across levels 1, 2, and 3. These women are now equipped with the strategic skills needed to accelerate their careers and advocate for others. We also onboarded new mentees who are currently immersed in our leadership curriculum.
Our Meet-A-WISCAR Series and the WISCAR/HBC Career Series provided hundreds of women with opportunities to enhance their skills in areas such as artificial intelligence for productivity and public speaking. We appreciate Habiba Balogun Consulting for her sterling contribution in this regard. Notably, our financial literacy session with industry leaders like Mrs. Rolayo Akhigbe and Mrs. Sola Adesakin was a standout, empowering participants to achieve financial balance.
Strategic Collaborations
In collaboration with FCMB, we successfully implemented the 10th cohort of the SheVentures Mentorship Programme, impacting over 200 female entrepreneurs. Additionally, our inaugural OneWoman Professional Mentorship Programme with Sterling Bank supported 150 female professionals in advancing their careers.
As Private Sector Liaison to UN Women, we:
- Established the Private Sector Forum on Gender-Responsive Procurement to increase opportunities for women-led businesses in the supply chain.
- Organized workshops and webinars on gender-responsive procurement.
- Created awareness and encouraged organisations to sign on to the Women’s Empowerment Principles (WEPs)
- Made foundational strides towards establishing the $25 million Gender-Based Violence Fund.
2024 Conference Theme
This year’s theme, “Fuelling Resilience: Empowering Diversity for Economic Success,” underscores the importance of resilience and diversity in overcoming challenges and driving progress. Resilience empowers women to seize opportunities, while diversity fuels innovation and adaptability in a dynamic global marketplace.
Our keynote speaker, Ms. Funke Opeke, exemplifies resilience and innovation. As the founder of MainOne Cable Company, she has transformed Nigeria’s technology sector and earned global recognition. Today, we honour her as the 13th Distinguished WISCAR Award Recipient and look forward to learning from her inspiring journey.
WISCAR Mentoring Book Launch
We are proud to unveil the WISCAR Mentoring Book, which chronicles the evolution of the WIN-with-WISCAR Model. This book is a call to action for schools, universities, workplaces, and communities to embrace mentorship as a tool for leadership development and gender equality.
Professor Grace Alele-Williams Alumni Impact Award
We are delighted to announce the 2024 recipient of the Professor Grace Alele-Williams Alumni Impact Award, an individual who exemplifies the spirit of this national icon.
Gratitude and Call to Action
Our profound appreciation goes to our Patrons, Advisory Board Members, Committee Chairs and members, Mentors, Facilitators and Sponsors. Your unwavering support is invaluable and has enabled us to strengthen governance and make huge strides. A special thank you to the 2024 Conference Planning and Fundraising Committees, led by Tokunboh George-Taylor and Bukola Smith, for their dedication. A heartfelt appreciation to the WISCAR Staff led by Ekemini Akpakpan, WISCAR Executive Secretary, for all their hard work and unwavering commitment to the WISCAR vision.
As we strive toward the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals, let us normalise women’s leadership and remember that progress requires collective action. Nigeria’s strides in board diversity—29.7% female representation among top companies—demonstrate the impact of our collective efforts. Let us continue to champion gender equality and women’s empowerment for national and global prosperity.
Thank you for listening.
Amina Oyagbola FCIoD, FCIPD, FCIPM
WISCAR Founder/Chairperson
December 12, 2024