The Association of Professional Women Engineers in Nigeria (APWEN) says it is equipping young female engineers with digital tools to help them make the best of digitalization in business investments.
The President, APWEN, Mrs Funmilola Ojelade, said this on the day-3 of the ongoing 2021 Annual Conference and Meeting of the association in Abuja Wednesday.
The theme of the event is `Women in Engineering Driving Digital Transformation in Nigeria’ is a four-day event which began with a news conference on Monday will end on Thursday.
The Wednesday event is tagged `APWEN Town and Gown, Mentoring and Career Fair for Young Engineers.
According to Ojelade, the event which is a major part of the conference is to give the young female engineers the wherewithal to function well when eventually they are exposed to the industry.
“This particular one we are doing is called the town and gown and it is for young engineers’ penultimate university years up to three years post-graduation the idea is that we want them to meet the industries and the organisations that employ engineers.
“Especially the multinationals, Siemens Energy, Guinness, Nigerian Breweries Nigcomsat and we Baker Hills, we want each of these companies to tell the young engineers how they can get employed in their organisations.
“ Do they employ female engineers what is the prospect of a woman engineer if she gets employed in such a place?
”So, those are the things they will be talking about and they will have the opportunities to ask them questions; ask the mentors questions.
“ We also have technical sessions, what we are talking about in those technical sessions is how business can use the best from the processes being used in businesses out of their digital investment,’’ Ojelade said.
She called on the public to give female engineers a change and not be judgmental even before they know what they could accomplish.
“People should be acceptable of female engineers allowing them to express themselves and to do what they are able to do.
“ What a woman contributes is different from what a man contributes but we need the two of us to work together to bring out solutions that are useful for the society and for humanity.
On her part, Mrs Roseline Igah,, a Mechanical engineer, Financial Solutions Provider, Unified Payments said digital transformation had to do with transforming the way things are done from insurance different sectors.
“We have tested solutions most especially, our solution for collections which has to do with digital collection solution which actually caters for solutions that enables people make payments.pay levies, duties in their different associations without actually touching the money.
“We are actually encouraged to help the younger generation, the young engineer we are set to tell them that ‘I can do attitude’ can take you anywhere.
“I see that with this kind of conference, we will actually produce more leaders. I see a future in Nigeria where women will be charged with more leadership roles.
Dr Magdalene Ade-Akanbi, APWEN Chairman Owerri Chapter and a senior lecturer in the Federal UNIVERSITY Owerri, said the event was meant to encourage girls.
“To encourage them to know actually that engineering is also for girls and not for boys alone.
“We encourage them to take charge and to be their best in the career that they have chosen in the various fields of engineering, chemical engineering, polymer engineering, electrical engineering.
“ These girls are super and the sky is the limit if actually they take up the challenge that they are there to change their world,’’ Ade-Akanbi said.
Mrs Idiat Amusu, an Agricultural Engineer and a Fellow of the Nigerian Society of Engineers, while encouraging the girls to give their chosen professions their best shot called on the government to engage agricultural engineers to ensure food security in the country.
“The science of food is the science of survival, so engineering has a critical role to play in ensuring that we have food security in the nation. when we talk about food processing and preservation.
“For government to solve the food insecurity we have to take this food business of food seriously.
“And for us to do that we have to meet the needs of the Agric Engineers to ensure that we have food processed and preserved for a period of time that can go round the country.
“There are so many issues that we need to look at, all the processes of food processing and preservation are based on engineering principles and for us to enhance this, we have to get the Agric engineers involved.’’
Speaking at the events many beneficiaries of the programme were grateful to APWEN for creating such an opportunity for them to be mentored by experienced hands in the profession.
Ehi Akpoga, graduate of Electrical Electronic Engineering from the Federal University of Agriculture Makurdi was full of praise for the organisers.
”It is a huge privilege to be today, this programme has enlightened us and encouraged us to take up careers in engineering.
”I have passion about the energy sector, am passionate about seeing a change in our energy system in Nigeria, am passion about the power development of our country.
“That Nigeria produce more power compared to the previous years and also generate new ideas not just stick to the old ones just using our hydro sources of power generation, and see more women come into engineering,’’Akpoga said.
Also, Miss Chinaza Okedu, from the Federal University of technology Owerri, a four hundred level chemical engineering student, said the conference was amazing.
“I have learnt a lot during my stay here, I encourage other young engineers to come to this kind of programme because it will really help motivate them in the future.
“ As a female engineer it is not actually easy the guys in the department are always trying to intimidate you and make you feel uneasy but when you come to this kind of conference you find a reason to actually build your career.’’ Okedu said.
