The Women In Energy Network (WIEN) on Saturday, March 4, formally kicked off its high-powered activities lined up to commemorate the 2023 edition of the International Women’s Day (IWD) with a Vital Voices Global Mentoring Walk.
The virtual walk themed ‘Time for Audacious Action’ was hosted in collaboration with Lonadek, an industry consulting group owned by a founding member of WIEN.
The 2023 IWD is commemorated with the theme: “DigitALL: Innovation and technology for gender equality.”
The event recognises and celebrates the women and girls who are championing the advancement of transformative technology and digital education; a programme with which WIEN has built a towering reputation.
“The observance will explore the impact of the digital gender gap on widening economic and social inequalities, and it will also spotlight the importance of protecting the rights of women and girls in digital spaces and addressing online and ICT-facilitated gender-based violence,” according to the United Nations.
WIEN has traditionally partnered with Lonadek Global Services for the Global Mentoring Walk since 2020, and has provided a forum for selected successful persons to mentor participants drawn from the business, academic, social circles.
This year’s WIEN’s Global Mentoring Walk event gathered nearly 50 participants comprising young school girls, upcoming entrepreneurs and others to sessions where they are mentored by established practitioners featuring as Special Guests from Oracle Academy, WEConnect International, APWEN, CBWN and Lonadek Global Services.
Mentor and Special Guest on the occasion, Mrs Bekere Alagbe, harped on the need for aspiring young women to overcome the social barriers and hurdles as they seek mentorship and guidance to excel in their career paths in business, sports, academic, and others.
She enjoined the established and accomplished women to accept the mentorship of these aspiring girls and help provide them equitable opportunities to develop.
According to Alagbe, equality in opportunities in society does not necessarily translate into equity, as the former does not solve emerging problems; further stressing that mentorship helps to close the skill gaps across the gender divide.
“As mentors, we should be able to build equitable access to those who seek mentorship, especially the girl teenagers, whether it be financial, career, academic or emotional guidance.
“And for the young women, you cannot afford to stay in your house and expect opportunities to come looking for you. You need to venture out into the work space and maximize your own potential through volunteering and improving yourself.
“Also, you need to believe in yourself and aspire to upskill as part of work.
”The main session hosted four breakout rooms for mentors to engage their subjects on topics STEM workforce; role of women towards global economic development; maintaining work-life balance; and leadership.
At the end of the closed session in the four virtual rooms, the main session regrouped where participants’ representatives shared their experiences from their separate breakout sessions.
According to Thomas Dogara, “it is vital to involve a lot younger STEM girls into sports, and to bridge the gap between sports and academics particularly for girls. This can help them create and encourage a healthy lifestyle among the younger generation. And use he values gained to build sustainable solutions for the future.”
WIEN’s programmes to celebrate the IWD 2023 are expected to continue from this March through to April, this year, with activities lined up in Abuja, Port Harcourt, in Rivers State, as well as, Lagos.
According to the UN, 37 per cent of women do not use the internet while 259 million fewer women have access to the Internet than men, even though they account for nearly half the world’s population.
“If women are unable to access the internet and do not feel safe online, they are unable to develop the necessary digital skills to engage in digital spaces, which diminishes their opportunities to pursue careers in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) related fields By 2050, 75% of jobs will be related to STEM areas. Yet today, women hold just 22% of positions in artificial intelligence, to name just one.
“Bringing women into technology results in more creative solutions and has greater potential for innovations that meet women’s needs and promote gender equality. Their lack of inclusion, by contrast, comes with massive costs,” the organization posits.