The 2021 and 13th edition of the WISCAR Annual Leadership and Mentoring Conference took place at the Shell Hall of the MUSON Centre, Lagos with the theme, ” Playing Big: Time to take our place.
The colourful event which started with video clips from the last Conference and other activities lined up for the year’s event had dignitaries, phenomenal women, stakeholders and mentees in attendance.
Dignitaries who attended physically and virtually included Professor Yemi Osinbajo who was represented by Dame Pauline Tallen, Minister of Women Affairs, Mr Geoffrey Onyeama, Minister of Foreign Affairs, and Mrs Bola Adesola, Chairman Ecobank who was the Keynote Speaker and winner of the 10th WISCAR award.
Tokunboh George Taylor who anchored the event gave an overview of the Organisation and milestones recorded over the years.
According to Mrs Amina Oyagbola, founder and convener this particular gathering tells a story of survival, resilience and determination. ” The whole world has been touched and affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. It’s been exactly 20 months since the World Health Organisation declared COVID-19 a pandemic. That has since left the world groaning from the devastating effect”.
Oyagbola adds that: ” The crisis also reversed some of the things done to reduce gender inequality and women empowerment. Thus making the race to achieve gender parity even more urgent. I guess we must continue to press for progress challenging the status quo”.
Women, she went on to explain had demonstrated excellence in leadership at the front lines during the COVID-19 recovery period.” We have also seen several extraordinary Nigerian Women leading and making us proud on the world stage.”
Unfortunately, the percentage of women in leadership by August 2020 stood at 20 percent above the world average of 17 percent , Africa’s average of 14 percent, and West Africa’s average of 11 percent. ” Furthermore in what many have described as a paradigm shift, the Nigerian banking sector has witnessed a surge of women at the top. There are currently 8 women serving as Chief Executive Officers and Managing Directors in Leading banks. This did not happen by accident. This is the outcome of gender-friendly policies put in place by Central bank several years ago”.
Women, she noted are also playing big in other sectors and delivering on their mandate. However, in terms of women’s representation and participation in Governance, the story is different. ” The 2019 election witnessed the return of a few women in political leadership in Nigeria.”
On her part, Hon. Abike Dabiri Erewa urged the women never to give up in spite of the many odds. “The only thing stopping us from taking our place is ourselves. It is about following your passion and knowing what you want to do, not just doing it because A is doing it”.
To buttress her point, Dabiri-Erewa talked about her personal experiences and the things that kept her going.” To the glory of God, 12 years in Parliament, I don’t have any regret.Is it a bed of Rose’s? No. Is it tough? Yes. Is it frustrating, sometimes yes. Sometimes, it is hard to be a woman. But you have to be strong”.
UNWomen Country Director, Mrs Comfort Lamptey was also at the conference and talked about the impact women are making around the world. “Globally we have seen the indisputable impact of women’s leadership across all sectors. Mentoring is integral to ensuring that women continue to have a seat at the table, where decisions of the National agenda are made”
Lamptey continued: “We are convinced about the power of Intergenerational experience sharing. Our flagship generational equality campaign is hinged on the strong belief that accelerating gender equality requires a hands-on-deck approach. The theme for this year’s conference is, therefore, a Call to Action “.
A publication reflecting the efforts of women titled Sheroes of Beijing supported by UN Women was also unveiled and presented at the Conference.