Nigerian Women Declare
ly. The Deputy Secretary General of United Nations and Director General of World Trade Organisation are Nigerian women. They are leading global institutions. It is time Nigerians rethink leadership and support women to take up political leadership.”
At the first ever Glass Ceiling Convention, which held in honour of the IWD with the theme, “Challenging The
System: Nigerian Women Taking Political Power,” the British Deputy High Commissioner to Nigeria, Ben Llewellyn- Jones, noted that Nigerian women have shown time and again that they have a voice, noting that the country must support these voices and remove the barriers preventing women from participating actively in politics and other key areas. “The pandemic shone a spotlight on gender inequality in the country as women suffered increased violence and inequality during the lockdown. 6.7 percent of women in elective positions compared to at least 15 per cent in other African countries is abysmally low. So many underlying barriers prevent women from participating in politics including religious, social and gender norms as well as poor education,” he said.
Keynote speaker, Nse Ufot of the New Georgia Project pointed out that gender and class shouldn’t prevent anyone from access to education and good healthcare. “We are the ones going to save this country. There’s no Calvary coming to save us; we are the ones we have been waiting for.”
Co- founder, Yiaga Africa, Cynthia Mbamalu, said Nigerian women were asking for more women in power because “we know women can actually lead.”
She added: “I want to tell women running for elective positions to build their campaigns around issues Nigerians care about and that affects them. People need to know that you will represent their interests adequately and fight for them. Politics and leadership hasn’t really been a culture for women as it has been for men. We need to close the gender gap on women empowerment. Last year’s # ENDSARS protest showed us that women can raise money and put into causes they care about and we can replicate this on a larger scale. Beyond legal reforms, we need to support women financially to emerge and run. Enough of capacity building for women; instead start investing money on women and see how things will change. Let us actually challenge the barriers and factors holding women back not with words as we are wont to do but with actions this time around to bring real change for Nigerian women, change that will drive political, systemic and economic change.”
House of Representatives member, Nnenna Ukeje, pointed out that getting more women into key positions that would drive change comes down to political will at the end of the day. She added that political and social movements should put pressure on government to effect the changes they want to see for Nigerian women.
“Women come into the political space full of optimism and without adequate information and after they see what is on ground, they get disillusioned. Women groups need to put pressure on elected officials to effect the 35 per cent derivative action we have been touting for years. The country has gotten more and more violent towards women in the last couple of years so it is no surprise to see this replicated in elections and running for office.
To Zainab Buba Galadima, women don’t understand the extent of their power. According to her, they always settle for less as a result.
“Every election, women voters far outnumber men voters. They are more reliable and consistent yet cannot use this to their advantage,” she noted.
Co- founder, Feminist Coalition, Damilola Odufuwa, decried the fact that societal and patriarchal norms were the biggest barriers in getting more women involved politically and in other areas.
“Nigerian women are interested in getting things done, in doing big things but have no idea how to go about it. Elections here are purposely hard, expensive and violent, designed to keep women away. We need to build a community of women that will push and encourage other women to greatness. No matter how small, put your money into women you believe in and see the impact this would have,” Odufuwa said.
Women In Technology Get Boost With Wentors IWD Mentorship Cohort
Wentors, an organisation geared towards creating more opportunities for women in technology by providing a platform for them to access female mentors in the industry, has rolled out a programme to mentor 1,000 women in commemoration of the 2021 International Women’s Day. Founder of the organisation, Eduabasi Chukwunweike, one of Africa’s loudest voices in support of women in technology and the ISV Lead, Microsoft4africa, said the organisation
rolled out the programme to ensure that women attain a 50 per cent representation in top management positions in technology globally.
Eduabasi and her Cofounder, Unoma Adeyemi, disclosed that in less than six months, the Wentors community has grown to over 1,000 women in technology from across four continents. They noted that having just begun their second and largest mentorship cohort, IWD Mentorship Cohort, the global stage was getting set to witness the unleashing of the true potential of women in tech globally.
Eduabasi said: “In my current role as ISV Lead,
Microsoft4africa, I have come across so many people who thought I was a man until we met physically or virtually.
This is just a small pointer to how deep the gender bias has grown in the industry.
“According to a report by Entelo, there are about 19 per cent of women in entry level and mid- level roles in the tech industry. At the senior level, however, women hold only 16 per cent of positions. As you go even higher, this number drops even lower, with women holding just 10 per cent of executive level positions.
“A survey conducted by Hackerrank found that 20.4 per cent of women over the age of 35 in the tech sector remain in junior level positions, in contrast to just 5.9 per cent of men over the age of 35. Actually, the survey found that women are more likely than men to hold junior level positions in the tech industry, regardless of their age.
“In Africa, we find an alarming gender gap in the technology ecosystem with a mere 38 per cent representation of women in management roles, and the higher up the corporate ladder, the less the representation of women.
“It is evident that we play our part in balancing out these numbers. We would not leave this great imbalance to chance and hope that someone, somewhere, would do something to change the narrative; rather, we are already bringing women together to encourage them to aspire for top positions in the industry. We have created a thriving community where women support, train and nurture one another.
“Wentors enlists women in technology and pairs them with female mentors in the technology industry using an algorithm based on career interest and personality type. These mentors advise and guide their mentees on how to navigate through the murky waters of their career in technology.
“This means you, as a mentor or mentee, are paired up with the best person for an optimal mentoring experience.” Eduabasi and Unoma added: “We invite all women who would love to join in this odyssey, either as a mentor or a mentee, to register now on www. wentors. com.”
‘ If We Could Break Into ‘ Men Only’ Field And Succeed, Why Not Others’ Daniel Anazia
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FOR Sandra Uso Prince- Ekueme, a mechanic; Uju Udoka, a painter and Cynthia Chioma Egbunam, a barber, there is no field of human endeavour women cannot venture into and succeed, as they are excelling in what was considered the ‘ men only’ field.
As part of this year’s IWD celebration, beverage brand, Amstel Malta, spotlighted the trio. They shared the compelling stories of how they came about their line of work, how they were able to navigate male- dominated spaces and how far they have come.
Speaking on the difficulties she experienced while starting out, Udoka, who prides herself as the ‘ first lady painter’, with specialisation in creative wall designing ( interior and exterior painting), revealed that her biggest challenge was sexist stereotypes and having to prove herself when bidding for jobs with male competitors.
According to her, she was worried that clients would not want to entrust her with jobs because of societal roadblocks that paint women as weak and feeble- minded. She, however, said she was proud of her progress, noting that she hopes to see more women realising their full potential.
Her words: “When I started it was often difficult to convince a prospective client, especially male clients, that I could paint their homes or offices. It was easier with female clients because they were always so eager and excited to see the work a female painter would do.
“I wasn’t taken seriously when I went out for marketing; people thought I was working under someone. So, I had to do a lot of work trying to convince them that it was my business and not someone else’s. Right now, there are a lot of women taking to painting as their profession and people are taking us more serious.”
While urging other women to choose to challenge the odds, the founder of ‘ Grab a Brush, Colour a Life’ initiative founder added: “Just do it, never ever believe anyone that says they cannot do it.”
On her part, Prince- Ekwueme stated: “Standing up for yourself as a female in a male dominated field is a must. People think women have feeble minds; they are mushy and they are soft! But we are strong.”
Asked about her challenge as a female barber, Cynthia said: “People don’t always take you seriously. You have to prove yourself over and over again. A lot of people look down on me and think I am not capable of doing my job. Sometimes people will tell me, “women are not allowed to touch my hair.”
I want to tell women running for elective positions to build their campaigns around issues Nigerians care about and that affects them. People need to know that you will represent their interests adequately and fight for them. Politics and leadership hasn’t really been a culture for women as it has been for men. We need to close the gender gap on women empowerment. Last year’s # ENDSARS protest showed us that women can raise money and put into causes they care about and we can replicate this on a larger scale. Beyond legal reforms, we need to support women financially to emerge and run. Enough of capacity building for women; instead start investing money on women and see how things will change.