Federal Govt to boost female participation in engineering

Tencourage more female participation in engineering, Presidential Implementation Committee on Technology Transfer and the National Agency for Science Engineering Infrastructure ( NASENI) have launched a ‘ Developing Engineering Leaders Through HER initiative to fund innovative and commercially viable ideas in engineering and technology, proposed by women. ( DELTHER)’.

The project aims to address the gender gap in Nigeria’s engineering sector . in the country over the next neers ( NSE) elected the first

At the launch of the project, five years by working extenfemale President in its hisat the weekend, in Abuja, the sively at the level of secondtory, Mrs Margaret Oguntala.

Executive Vice Chairman ary education, which is She happens to be the 34th

( EVC) of NASENI, Kahlil Halilu, where young girls make vital president of the NSE, which said recent statistics revealed decisions regarding career means all previous 33 presithe dire need for deliberate choices. dents were men. actions to be targeted at the Halilu observed that the “This gives one an idea of the existing gender imbalance in global average for female starkness of the gender imthe engineering sector, to inrepresentation in engineerbalance in the sector. It is this spire inclusion, while also exing is 28 p er cent, which is imbalance that DELT- HER panding contribution only a little above one in four; seeks to correct, by focusing channels to the nation’s but in Nigeria, only five per attention and funding on

Gross Domestic Product cent, showing that only one young women, and, very im

( GDP). in 20 Nigerian engineers is a portantly, creating and culti

According to Halilu, the woman. vating public awareness agency, through the initia - He said: “Interestingly, it was around the need to train and tive, intends to double the just in December 2023 that mentor more women into number of female engineers the Nigerian Society of Engi- the engineering profession.”