Acknowledgements
The Governor of LASG-Our Host State, ably Represented by the Hon Cmr for Establishment, Training and pensions -Ajibola Ponnle
HE , Amina J Mohammed, UN DSG- Our Keynote Speaker
Fed Min for Women Affairs – Pauline Tallen
Fed Min of State for Environment- Chief Sharon Ikeazor
Hon Members of the House or Reps – Tolu Akande- Sadipe
HE the British High Cmr- Rep by the Deputy BHC Harriet Thompson
UN Women Country rep
Members of the diplomatic corp
Distinguished panelists and Speakers
Members of the WISCAR Board, mentors, mentees WISCAR Alumni, Wiscar Donors and Sponsors
Members of the Press
Founders Address
I am delighted to welcome you all to the 2019 WISCAR Annual Leadership and Mentoring Conference. Let me begin by thanking everyone here for choosing to be with us on a Saturday evening. We all know that our usual pursuit on a Saturday evening is leisure, rest and relaxation. But we must always be conscious that the work of heroes is never done. And we must all be heroes in participating in, advocating for and championing the crucial quest for gender empowerment, human equality and all-round inclusiveness of all our peoples. For that is a minimum requirement for nation building and economic wellbeing. That is why all of us present this evening must applaud each other and ourselves for taking the time to be here.
As ever, we at WISCAR have continued to make measurable achievements in our mission to Develop Women to Build a Better Nation. We have consolidated on the gains from previous years, made significant new strides, forged new partnerships and impacted on the lives of an increasing number of people.
Let me remind us all that our vision remains the preparation of generations of up and coming women for meaningful, aspirational and ethical leadership. Our way is to inculcate in future and present women leaders the methodology, knowhow, road map and confidence to navigate their way to increasing influence and success. We have continued to tweak and develop our programmes for the achievement of these goals. Our core programme remains our structured WIN with WISCAR Mentorship Programme. For those who are not familiar with the WIN with WISCAR Mentorship Programme, its key features include:
- A careful matching of each mentee with a mentor selected to help the mentee begin to meet the realisation of her goals and ambitions.
- Attendance of a series of rich and varied career seminars.
- Attendance of a series of professional and effectiveness seminars.
- Participating in four book reviews.
- Role Modelling with several opportunities to network with significant and successful women in careers during the inspiring Meet-A-WISCAR sessions and this Annual Conference.
- Several programmes, in partnership with Habiba Balogun Consulting (HBC Series), open to both men and women, and aimed at building crucial soft skills to add to their professional skill sets.
The class of 2019 Mentees that will graduate today is the 10thstream to go through the WIN with WISCAR Programme. As if to prove right the several African people that insist that the name makes the person, this 10th stream of WISCAR Mentees have demonstrated their difference and significance. For starters, numbering 34, they are so far, the largest group to pass through our annual 12 month programme. Next, by their diversity, they extol the virtues of WISCAR’s outlook. The 10th stream of WISCAR mentees range in age from 22 to 35 years. They are impressively diverse in their professional and career backgrounds, spanning private and public sectors as well as having outlooks into both the social entrepreneurship and the political activism spaces.
Finally, by their outreach they have already significantly impacted many young minds. With support from WISCAR, this 10th stream of mentees have helped to organise and participated in a group project called the Grow and Learn Initiative (GLIN). The project is a mentoring outreach programme for 500 girls in both public and private secondary schools in Lagos State. These graduating WISCAR Mentees are therefore already paying it forward. Our fervent prayer is that this positive chain will never be broken.
We exhort this 10th Stream of WISCAR Mentees to go out boldly into the world knowing in themselves and showing to others that they are leaders who will challenge dated and destructive traditions and thinking, who will continue to knock mightily on glass ceilings everywhere and who will ensure that the world is a safer and kinder place for women in the years to come. We will await news of your peerless achievements. We congratulate you.
In addition to our traditional programmes, WISCAR has, this year, broken into new collaborations. In collaboration with First City Monument Bank (FCMB), we provided training and mentoring for 75 women entrepreneurs over a 3-month period. This was under FCMB’s She Ventures Programme for which WISCAR set up masterclasses and mentoring circles drawing on our highly esteemed WISCAR Mentors. This collaboration has empowered several FCMB/She Ventures beneficiaries to access the resources necessary for upscaling their businesses.
We also partnered with IHS Towers to scale up our core mentorship programme by including women in careers in the Technology and Engineering Fields through IHS Towers’ TSAP Programme.
I have mentioned the Grow and Learn Initiative (GLIN) Programme under which our 10th stream of mentees as well as some past mentees are providing mentoring and career guidance to over 500 girls in both public and private secondary schools on Lagos State. This initiative is carried on under the ACT Foundation grants, powered by Access Bank Plc.
WISCAR also has other new initiatives in the oven. In February 2020, we will launch our WIN with WISCAR WIN3 programme. This programme is specially designed for women aspiring to move from middle management into general management and C-Suite positions. In other words, it is designed for women who wish to have a voice and a seat at the table. This transition is one of the most difficult for women in successful careers.
The first group of WIN3 participants will be limited to 10 for a programme that promises to be rigorous, tough, all embracing but highly fulfilling.
Finally, WISCAR is extremely pleased to announce a partnership with Women Leaders for the World Programme, a global mentoring programme of repute.
As the year draws to a close, it is time to welcome our 30 incoming mentees for 2020. As in all things, the beginning fosters some fear, some doubts and trepidation. However, we exhort the incoming stream 11 mentees to focus on the hope that has brought them to WISCAR, on the challenges they wish to overcome and in the joy they will feel when they have conquered their fears and achieved their goals.
The Theme for this year’s conference is I DO NOT WALK ALONE- a ‘celebration of solidarity, sisterhood and community’ in the words of our Keynote Speaker. It will be churlish to even doubt for one second the truth of that statement, “I do not walk alone”. Is it when we were suckling babies that we walked alone? Or when we took those first tentative steps into our first schools? Indeed, an African Proverb from an ageless past says “if you want to go fast, go alone, if you want to go far, go together. We at WISCAR have only achieved the things we did because many, both here and absent tonight, joined hands with us. Our sponsors, Our donors, our mentors, our partners, our audiences, our Keynote Speakers and distinguished WISCAR awardees, our exemplars at our Meet-a WISCAR sessions, our trainers and facilitators, our Advisory Board Members, our Mentees and last but definitely not least, the WISCAR Staff. You have all travelled the pathways with us. You have all collectively held our hands. We are grateful that you have walked with us. We truly thank you and we hope that, in whatever little way, WISCAR has made your journey easier and more tractable.
To develop and talk to us on the theme “I do not walk alone” we have a set of truly distinguished panelists. They include an Honourable Minister of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Chief Sharon Ikeazor, a member of the Federal House of Representatives, Hon, Tolu Akande-Sadipe, Cecilia Akintomide OON, Lawyer, Banker and International Development Expert currently Non-Executive Director at FBN Holdings, and Mrs. Funmi Omo MD/CEO of African Alliance. The panel will be moderated by the highly respected publisher of Business Day, Mr. Frank Aigbogun. We look forward to hearing from them. I know that they will enthral us. I am sure that you will walk every step of the way with them. We will also have inspirational talks from Ugoma Adegoke Cultural Entrepreneur, Adepeju Jaiyeoba WISCAR Alumni ( founder, Brown Button Foundation) and Bikiya Graham Douglas artist and performer.
Finally, and I hear the drum rolls. I am truly delighted to announce our Keynote Speaker for this year. We are honoured to have her with us, and I know you are all as excited as I am to welcome Her Excellency Amina J. Mohammed OFR, the esteemed Deputy Secretary General of the United Nations. She has, despite her very busy schedule and very difficult travel constraints, decided to be here with us this evening. Thank you for your commitment to women empowerment and gender equality. We are proud of you, we laud you and we wait with bated breath to listen to you. She, as well as all our distinguished panelists will explore the conference theme and tell us why they do not walk alone and why that has made all the difference to their enviable achievements.
As I bring my remarks to a close, I would like to specially appreciate the WISCAR patrons, the distinguished members of the WISCAR Advisory Board and our wonderful and growing community of WISCAR mentors for their commitment and dedication to the cause of developing women to build a better nation. Thank you WISCAR mentees for choosing to be mentored by us and the growing WISCAR Alumni for paying it forward by mentoring others and helping to uplift so many women and girls.
I would also like to express my profound appreciation to the 2019 WISCAR Conference Planning committee, Chaired by the formidable Mrs. Folake Ani-Mumuney for working tirelessly with the WISCAR Secretariat and Chair of the Sustainable fund-raising committee, Mrs. Bukola Smith for ensuring the seamless execution of today’s event. We thank most profoundly all our Sponsors and Donors for their generous financial and in-kind support to WISCAR this year and from inception. Without your support we would not be here. We hope that you will continue to support our work in the coming years and trust that you can see the social and economic impact of your generosity to WISCAR. On our part, we shall continue to live up to our promises and ensure you remain proud to be associated with us.
Finally, I thank the committed and passionate Staff of the WISCAR Secretariat, Debby, Kemi, Chinwe, Gillian and Katchy led by the WISCAR Executive Secretary, Fabia Ogunmekan for their hard work and dedication to growing the WISCAR vision. They have been burning the mid night oil.
I thank you ALL again for choosing to spend your Saturday evening with us.
Please relax and enjoy this special evening.
In closing, I will leave you with these words from Dr. Patti Fletcher author of the bestselling book Disrupters, Success Strategies for those who break the mold, “There are thousands; millions of us out there just like you. Do not go through life believing you are the only one who struggles with the things you do. Do not believe that your burden is yours to bear alone. Do not believe that there is no one out there who understands. Do not believe that your dreams of changing the world or charting your own path are not worthy. Do not believe that you lack the power, the knowledge or the strength.”
You have the power, the knowledge and the strength to achieve your dreams and change the world.
REMEMBER, ALWAYS THAT YOU DO NOT WALK ALONE.
Amina Oyagbola
WISCAR Founder, Chairperson
