Introduction and Overview
The 2022 WISCAR Annual Leadership and Mentoring Conference tagged – ‘An Evening with WISCAR’ was successfully held on Saturday, 10th December, 2022, from 4:00pm to 9:30pm. The conference which was themed “FOR THE NATION: THE POWER OF INCLUSION” had over 600 (Six Hundred) delegates – from Corporate World, Enterprise, Government, and the Civil Society Sectors in physical attendance from across Nigeria and several others streaming online on YouTube from across the globe.
Opening and Goodwill Messages
The conference formally kicked off with a special rendition of the National Anthem by Opera Singer Sandra Osamor.
The goodwill messages were delivered by distinguished personalities who provided valuable insights on the power and importance of female inclusion in leadership and governance for the nation. The goodwill messages were as follows;
Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu, The Executive Governor of Lagos State ably represented by Mrs. Cecilia Bolaji Dada, the Honourable Commissioner for Women Affairs and Poverty Alleviation. In his goodwill message the Executive Governor stated that the theme for this year’s conference “For the Nation; The Power of Inclusion” is very appropriate and timely because it challenges the fundamental belief that only a specific gender or class of people have the potential to be highly productive contributors.
Mr. Ben Llewellyn-Jones, British Deputy High Commissioner Nigeria highlighted that women and girls make up half of the Nation’s population and invariably half of the Nation’s potential. Hence, it would be a great disservice for Nigeria to exclude half of its population from fully contributing to the economy. He further stated that the global average of women representation in politics is 22.5% but Nigeria’s average is at 6.7% and improving this takes a collective effort.
Ms. Beatrice Eyong, UN Women Country Representative to Nigeria and Ecowas in her goodwill message elucidated on how the theme for the Annual Conference recognizes the adverse and lasting impact of the exclusion of women, girls, persons living with disability and the most vulnerable on Nigeria’s socio-economy. She went further to share the results of the UN Women/WISCAR partnership in promoting SDG 5 to address and close some of the gaps.
Mrs. Oluwatomi Bola-Sadipe, Country Sales Manager, Nigeria & Ghana, United Airlines highlighted United Airlines commitment to gender inclusion which is evident in the recruitment process of the company stating that any company that seeks to exist and sustain its operations for generations to come must think inclusion and diversity.
HRH Muhammad Sanusi Lamido II, Sarkin Kano gave the final goodwill message expressing that the theme of this year’s WISCAR Annual Leadership and Mentoring Conference brings to the fore the issues that need to be addressed as the matter of inclusion is one that has affected the progress of the nation. He that inclusion means involving women, youths, people living with disability amongst others and as citizens we should call on political candidates to share their plans for diversity and inclusion.
Founder’s Address
Mrs. Amina Oyagbola, Founder/Chairperson of Women in Successful Careers (WISCAR) graciously appreciated the presence of all distinguished guests, participants, donors and sponsors at the 2022 Annual Conference. After which, she reiterated WISCAR’s mission which is to equip generations of talented women for ethical leadership as women are key to sustainable development.
She then proceeded to give an account of WISCAR’s impact in 2022 which includes the 2022 graduating cohort of the WIN with WISCAR Programmes (WIN I & II and WIN III) which comprises 51 female professionals, who following a rigorous selection process qualified for the WISCAR programs and proceeded to participate in shaping and concretizing their career goals and aspirations in January 2022.
She also emphasized that the theme for this year’s conference “FOR THE NATION: THE POWER OF INCLUSION.” is a clarion call to galvanize action by all to enable and accelerate women’s inclusion in governance, leadership in organizations and active female participation in all spheres of our nation. She further stated that it is also a call to people to take deliberate steps to elect public servants that are gender sensitive in the forthcoming 2023 general elections.
She looked forward with excitement to hearing from the Keynote Panelists as the Fire Side Chat with Global icon, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie which was the high point of the conference.
Oluwayemisi Mafe, Head of Corporate Affairs and Communication in West Africa, Pfizer in her Mentees testimonial shared that joining and completing the WISCAR Mentoring programme was one of her goals for the year 2022. She further mentioned that there is a need for organizations to follow through on WISCAR’s advocacy by developing a gender agenda and no discrimination policies at all levels in line with SDG 10 and implement the appropriate culture to promote diversity and inclusion.
Keynote Panel Session/Key Points/Recommendations
The keynote plenary session consisting of; Hawwah Gambo – Journalist and Political Candidate; Adia Sowho – Chief Marketing Officer, MTN; Chukwuemeka Onyimadu – National Economist, UN Women Nigeria; and Tosin Oshinowo – Principal Architect, cmDesign Atelier explored the topic Her Inclusion: Our Collective Gain.
Moderated by globally recognized journalist, development expert and public servant, Tunji Lardner, the conversation brought to bear practical ideas and insights on the benefits of inclusive governance to society and discussed ways inclusion improves the economy and how it can be better harnessed.
Key Points from the Keynote Panel Session;
- There is a need for continuous and concerted efforts towards advocating for gender inclusion so that the next generation does not suffers from the consequences.
- Inequality starts at home and if we are going to advocate equality, it has to start from the home.
- The way women build networks in their workplaces has to differ from men because the conversations between women are more intimate and more truthful and they require a much deeper foundation.
- The resistance against the Gender and Equality bill stems largely from the perceptions around the objectives of the bill. By and large, religion has had a very strong impact on the acceptability of the bill within the assembly. UN Women is working with CSOs and other gender cohorts to see how that perception can be redressed and still be fair and equitable. What the bill seeks to achieve is to ensure that women have equal opportunities and that speaks largely to the theme of the WISCAR Annual Conference.
- Less than one percent of women entrepreneurs as well as women-owned businesses participate in public procurement. In fact, it is even worse when we look at women-owned businesses that benefit from public procurement. It is therefore imperative that forward looking companies begin to consider implementing affirmative procurement policies to improve the numbers and close the gap.
- Women need to become a little bit less conscious that they are women and see themselves as people.
- Role modelling is key. We need to create more opportunities for women to see the possibilities, just seeing someone else who is in a similar situation as you, or looks like you, and what they have achieved means that it is possible.
Inspirational Talk
There was a powerful spoken words rendition by Kemi Lala Akindoju’s Production Company that reminded the participants of women who had gone ahead in the quest for gender inclusion and equity. Through the piece, there was a call for us to take action towards achieving the desired future we want for our people (male and female), for our beloved Nigeria.
Posthumous Award
WISCAR presented a posthumous award to Late Professor Grace Alele-Williams, a national icon in recognition of her outstanding contribution and legacy. A Shero and a true embodiment of our values at WISCAR.
In the award to the Family, and in honour of her memory, WISCAR initiated the Professor Grace Alele-Williams Alumni Impact Award which in subsequent years will be bestowed on a deserving WISCAR Alumni.
Keynote Fireside Chat
The keynote fireside chat with the WISCAR Founder/Chairperson, Amina Oyagbola and Global Icon and Multiple Award-Winning Author, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie further deepened the relevance of the Conference theme. This chat was preceded by a specially curated indigenous salutation (Oja) of Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s rich Igbo heritage and her achievements which ushered her to the stage with great emotion and excitement.
In an emotional response to the Oja, she stated how much the words reminded her of the people she holds dear and how they have contributed to the woman she is today. Her introductory remarks, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie stated the importance of gatherings like the WISCAR Annual Conference which serves as a reminder of the values that matter and actions that can be taken, adding that the desire for women to participate in decision making processes, should not be only because they are women but also based on the awareness that there are certain compositions about the socialization of women that is an enabler for better leadership.
In her conversation with the Founder, she stated that the challenges she encountered in her career were mitigated with the support and foundation set by her family. She emphasized the need for parents particularly fathers to be present and involved in the lives of their children. In shedding lighter on the word feminism, she remarked that it is a word that has been so often misunderstood, and become easy to make a caricature of. It is a word that speaks more about justice, equality and recognizing that every human being deserves equal opportunity – establishing that people should not be excluded from opportunities that they ordinarily might excel at or are interested in because they are female.
She shared her experience on setbacks and recounted how she was told that no one will publish her books because she was writing about Africa and African Countries. Indeed, her manuscripts were rejected several times but she kept writing and sending them out till a female publisher saw the value and the rest as they say is history. She shared that she has learnt to deal with feelings of disappointment and failure by giving herself a timeline to feel sorry after which she picks herself up and moves on. Dwelling on such feelings she says will make you sink deeper into despair which is counter-productive and unhealthy.
Change is often difficult for people. In general, as human beings, we think that if something has been done continuously, then it is automatically the right way to do it, however, this is not always the case. Ms. Adichie mentioned two key areas where people are indoctrinated as:
- The school: School teaches children not just academics, but certain cultural things we also need to push back on. For example, a father is the breadwinner and a mother plays a supporting role which no longer reflects the true reality.
- Religion: It would be impossible to challenge gender roles on our continent without religion. People dismiss a lot of things using religion. For instance, how can you say you are equal, you were made from a rib- I believe God is a feminist she says and I look forward to crafting the case for God being Feminist because there is no way that a loving God, will decide that some of his creations are somehow lesser than others. It completely destroys the notion of a loving God.
As her final charge, she tasked attendees on the need to not just focus on the development of girls but also on how boys are raised – stating that there is a need engage boys early and reshape the ideas of masculinity to encourage expressing emotion, believing in fairness, advocating against discrimination.
Presentation of the Distinguished WISCAR Award
Following an insightful fireside chat, the specially curated citation of Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s career and achievements was played after which she was presented with the 2022 Distinguished WISCAR Award by the WISCAR Advisory Board Members led by the Chair of the Planning Committee
The Distinguished WISCAR Award was given to Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie in recognition for her outstanding contribution to the fields of literature and culture, for being a thought leader, and an advocate for women’s rights.
Executive Director Transition
It was an emotional and beautiful moment when Mrs. Amina Oyagbola, WISCAR Founder/Chairperson, announced the transition of Mrs. Fabia Ogunmekan, WISCAR Executive Director after 5 years at the helm of WISCAR’s affairs. In her remarks, Mrs. Oyagbola gave a heartfelt appreciation to Fabia Ogunmekan for her sterling contribution to WISCAR.
Conclusion and Appreciation
The conference concluded with the vote of thanks as delivered by Mrs. Folake Ani-Mumuney, the Chair of the Planning Committee. Fabia Ogunmekan also gave special recognition to all WISCAR’s sponsors, donors and participants for making the 2022 WISCAR Annual Leadership and Mentoring Conference memorable and impactful.
Sponsors for the 2022 WISCAR Annual Leadership and Mentoring Conference are: United Airlines, First Bank of Nigeria Limited, Pacific Holdings Limited, Aliko Dangote Foundation, IHS Nigeria PLC, Coronation Asset Management, Bank of Industry, Maersk, SPDC, SNEPCO, FCMB, Sterling Bank PLC, Cadbury Nigeria PLC, Lotus Bank, Stanbic IBTC, Aella, SunTrust Bank, FSDH Merchant Bank Limited, MTN Nigeria, FBNQuest Merchant Bank, Wema Bank, EKEDC, NLNG, Coronation Merchant Bank, Ernst & Young, MainOne, Enterprise Life, Lagos State Government, PharmAccess Foundation, Pladis Global, UN Women Nigeria, Habiba Balogun Consulting, Oyagbola Chambers, AKMS Consulting, AfricaBusinessRadio.com, Hill+Knowlton Strategies, DKK, Nigerian Bottling Company, Touchdown Travels, Narrative Landscape, Hallmark HMO, Eko Atlantic, Hans & René, Diageo PLC and Nigerian Breweries.
Advocacy & Policy Recommendations from the Panel and Keynote
Inclusion, Women Economic Empowerment and Women’s Political Participation
Following the discussions of the panel and the fire side chat, we note that there is a lot more that can be done to create more gender inclusive economies, for which the business and political case has already been made.
- As citizens, we should ask questions from political aspirants on their plans and strategies for gender inclusion.
- Companies need to implement gender inclusive policies and promote a culture that is open to diversity and inclusion.
- With only about 1% women gaining access to the procurement opportunities, it has become imperative for companies to implement an affirmative procurement policy because it makes for sustainable business and national development.
Women In Successful Careers (WISCAR)
Lagos, Nigeria.
December, 2022.
