AWIEF marks International Women’s Day with key event in Nigeria
The Africa Women Innovation and Entrepreneurship Forum (AWIEF), which will celebrate its 5th anniversary this year, will host an event celebrating International Women’s Day in Nigeria on March 13, 2019, with the theme “Building for a Better Tomorrow”.
International Women’s Day is on 8 March and to accommodate the elections in Nigeria, AWIEF is hosting their event a week later, on 13 March at the Lagos Continental Hotel, Victoria Island, Lagos, Nigeria, from 8am to 3pm. The special business networking event, will celebrate the economic and social achievements of women, connecting with local and international business leaders, entrepreneurs, government officials, and community advocates.
“International Women’s Day is set aside for the global celebration of the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women. Across Africa, women are driving change and disruption and contributing to job creation and socio-economic growth in their countries and communities. African women have come a long way, but there is still a lot left to be done to achieve gender balance,” explained Irene Ochem, Founder and CEO of AWIEF.
“Sub-Saharan Africa is the only region globally where women make up the majority of self-employed individuals. This is not merely an indication of the redefinition of women’s economic roles; it also reflects how African women are reshaping the modern global economy. Yet, women own just one percent of the world’s wealth and only a fraction of that is attributable to African women. Given the opportunity, African women invest the majority of their income into their families and communities, but unfortunately most of these women experience unnecessary barriers that limit their ability to fully and equitably participate in the economy.”
AWIEF is a platform that sees global thought leaders, industry experts, policymakers, academics, development organisations and investors gather to dialogue, connect, network, share, collaborate and transact in a combined effort to boost Africa’s entrepreneurship ecosystem.
The Lagos event is organised in partnership with Bank of Industry of Nigeria, GE Africa, Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA), Embassy of Sweden in Nigeria, and Lagos State Employment Trust Fund (LSETF). Speakers include Vanessa Adams, Vice President, Country Support and Delivery: AGRA; Margaret Hirsch, Founder and CEO: Hirsch’s Homestore, South Africa; Patricia Obozuwa, Director: Communications and Public Affairs, GE Africa; Teju Abisoye, Director: Programme and Coordination, Lagos State Employment Trust Fund; Kema Chikwe, former Nigeria Minister of Aviation; Didi Akinyelure, correspondent, Thomson Reuters; and Ida Hockerfelt, Deputy Head of Mission: Embassy of Sweden, Nigeria.
“We want to provide a platform to celebrate, reflect on progress made and dialogue on how to accelerate Agenda 2030 and achieving the Sustainable Development Goals, especially goal number five: ‘Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls’,” added Ochem.
“This is an excellent opportunity for networking and exchanging ideas and insights between high profile guest speakers and thought leaders, women entrepreneurs, investors, women of influence, the public and media who all share a passion for advancing female-led innovation and entrepreneurship in Africa.”
The programme will feature the keynote speakers to provide thought leadership, followed by a panel discussion, where inspirational women in business from a range of industries, will share their vision of the future, what gender balance means for them and the advances, opportunities and challenges of making change happen. There will also be entertainment provided and an opportunity to network.
AWIEF is a Pan-African non-profit organisation with offices in both Nigeria and South Africa, including the annual conference, awards and expo; as well as events all year round and programmes to mentor, fund and grow women entrepreneurs on the continent.
For bookings for #IWD2019 #AWIEFBusinessNetworking, Lagos, Nigeria, 13 March 2019, go to: https://www.awieforum.org/2019-international-womens-day-celebration/.
AWIEF will host its prestigious annual conference and awards, at the Cape Town International Convention Centre (CTICC), 29-30 October 2019.
AWIEF support comes from global organisations such as UN Women, the African Development Bank (AfDB) and the European Union-funded Technical Centre for Agricultural and Rural Cooperation (CTA). Partners and sponsors also include: Invest Cape Town, City of Cape Town, Embassy of Sweden, Shell, Nedbank, ARC, Johnson & Johnson, and Tsogo Sun.
