APWEN advocates empowerment of female engineers to boost growth

The Association of Professional Women Engineers of Nigeria (APWEN) has advocated for the empowerment of female engineers to fast-track growth and development.

Atinuke Owolabi, chairman of the Association of Professional Women Engineers of Nigeria, Lagos Chapter, said this during a public lecture with the theme ‘Empowering Women Engineers: Transforming Infrastructure to Achieve Sustainable Development Goals’ which was held virtually in commemoration of the 2024 International Women in Engineering Day.

“There is the need to empower female engineers, the use of local engineers in projects, and the patronisation of locally made spare parts to fast-track growth and development,” she said.

“Let us remember that empowering women engineers is not just about breaking barriers but also about building bridges to connect ideas, innovations, and aspirations for a better tomorrow,” Owolabi stated.

She said the theme of the lecture is timely and crucial as Nigeria strives to build inclusive and resilient infrastructures that meet current and future community needs.

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Adebisi Osim, president of APWEN also said the 2024 International Women in Engineering Day with the theme, ‘Enhanced by Engineering’, highlighted the critical role female engineers play in shaping the global future.

“It underscores our commitment to fostering an inclusive and equitable environment where women engineers not only excel but lead transformative change in our communities and beyond,” Osim said.

“Infrastructure formed the backbone of economies, societies, and environments, providing essential services and enabling growth with female engineers making an impact while advocating equal representation and challenging stereotypes,” she said.

Olufunmilayo Kadiri, managing director of the Association for Consulting Engineers in Nigeria, while speaking on ‘Transforming infrastructure to enhance SDGs’ said the transformative power of engineering in enhancing infrastructure development, and acknowledged the transformative power of engineering in enhancing infrastructure development and outlined challenges related to Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 6 and 7.