The convener of the symposium and the Executive Director of the Center for Economic and Leadership Development, Mrs. Furo Ken-Giami in her opening speech, maintained that, the statistics of female in critical STEM fields is alarming hence the need for the symposium. In her words, “the need for this symposium cannot be overemphasised, the statistics of females in the critical STEM fields, and most especially, in engineering, has remained alarming and worrisome, all over the world.” Continuing, Mrs. Ken-Giami, who is a PhD researcher at the School of Design & Mechanical Engineering at the University of Portsmouth, stated that, “with this issue of underrepresentation of females in these fields, we are failing to take advantage of the critical mass concept- a concept with its root in nuclear physics, which states that if sufficiently enough material required for a nuclear explosion to occur is present and set off, there would be an inevitability of an explosion.

Continuing, Mrs. Ken-Giami observed that, poor representation of females across different sectors of the economy in Nigeria, may be largely responsible for underperformance in such sectors. In her words, “this concept goes further to assert that irrespective of the sector, where female numbers are below 20%, real changes do not take place. So before the critical mass is reached, most likely female voices are not heard and taken seriously enough by the patriarchal system.

On her part, the Wife of the Deputy Governor of Delta State, Engr. Dr. Ebierin Otuaro, advised young female secondary students to pursue a path in engineering, as it offers unique opportunities for girls who are willing to make a mark in the society. She also advised the young students on the importance of Hard-work, Dedication and Focus.

The Engineering for Girls Symposium & Outreach programme is an initiative of the Centre for Economic and Leadership Development. The event is aimed at motivating and attracting a diverse talent pool of girls to the engineering profession in Nigeria, by highlighting the role of engineering in the delivery of the SDGs and hence ignite the potential of the country to build true, lasting and sustainable development in her communities.

The event attracted young female students from 15 public and private senior secondary schools, who also participated in the focus group discussions, which was conducted to determine the impact of the knowledge gained from the symposium on the students’ decision to choose engineering and their understanding of the role of engineering in delivering Sustainable Development Goals.

The focus group discussion was preceded by paper presentations; panel discussions, questions and answer sessions. During the questions and answer session, students were allowed to ask critical questions that will help in shaping their career choices.

The event was supported by some key partners, including APWEN, IHS Towers, FCT Secondary Education Board, Collette Nigeria, Federal Ministry of Works & Housing, University of Portsmouth-UK, & the Baze University.

Distributed by African Media Agency (AMA) on behalf of African Leadership Magazine.

About CELD
The Centre for Economic and Leadership Development, a Non-governmental organisation involved in programs and training sessions designed to present diverse perspectives, insights and strategies that will challenge women at all levels across emerging economies, to tread uncharted waters and scale new heights.

In efforts to celebrating the strides of women at all levels CELD holds firm to its mandate; to bring true and enduring empowerment to women at various levels, circumstances, cultures and tribes; whilst redefining the theory and practice of inclusive leadership and education for the youth and the various societies where we operate.