Lagos Business School hosted the 2017 Women Techmakers Summit on Saturday, April 8, 2017. This global event which has been held across 52 countries worldwide, is organised by Google in honour of The International Women’s Day to drive visibility, community and resources for women in Technology.
The theme of the event “Tell your Story” allowed women who have excelled in their various careers and businesses share the stories of their journey to success. In her keynote address, Juliet Ehimuan-Chiazor, Country Manager, Google, encouraged young ladies present, to work hard and believe in themselves. “If you want to be taken seriously you need to be able to do the work. You can be your best champion. It is not about the result, it is the process. Every situation presents an opportunity to grow, it may not be palatable but it is necessary” she said.
In a plenary session, the Dean of Lagos Business School, Dr Enase Okonedo, acknowledged that the scope of business has changed as women are now more actively involved in business activities. She highlighted in her response to the prominence of women in business that, “Africa has a lot of entrepreneurs, I am happy to say that 40% of entrepreneurs in Africa are women. I am proud to say we have about 45% women currently enrolled on our full time MBA programme. These women are desirous of using their business degree to go on and help other businesses grow”.
Other notable speakers present at the event included: Kemi Adetiba; Mich Atagana, Head Communications and Public Affairs, Google; Ommo Clark, CEO, iBez; Adia Sowho, Director, Etisalat; Afua Osei, Founder, She Leads Africa; Chika Uwazie, CEO, Talentbase; Ire Aderinokun, Technical Lead, Big Cabal Media (Google Developer Expert) and Teju Ajani, Google.