Minister of state for power, Goddy Jedy-Agba, says the Federal Government is committed to promoting equality and inclusiveness in the power sector as well as other sectors in the country.
Jedy-Agba also assures that the present administration is working to ensure that the plight of women are mitigated.
Delivering an address at the first female Science Technology Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) workshop in Lagos State, organised by Rural Electrification Agency, Jedy-Agba says Nigeria cannot hope to reform the power sector without the skills, innovation, and expertise of our women.
“To the young women who have participated in the STEM Internship Programme, I want you to know that gender and social exclusion will soon be a thing of the past. The importance of events like the one we are having today cannot be overemphasised. I therefore urge you to take charge of your future and make good use of the platform that has been established for you,” Jedy-Agba says.
The workshop was organised by the Agency in partnership with leading private sector developers and was attended by power sector stakeholders and business professionals with the aim of bringing together young women in the same room with top power sector and business professionals to share knowledge and discuss the opportunities for women in the industry.
The Energising Education Programme (EEP) being implemented by the Rural Electrification Agency to provide sustainable and clean power supply to 37 Federal Universities and seven University Teaching Hospitals across Nigeria creates an avenue for the training of 180 female STEM students (20 from each benefiting university) during the construction phase of the project, which serves as a catalyst towards ensuring sustainability of the project and building young women for the future in renewable energy.
Damilola Ogunbiyi, managing director/CEO, in her opening remarks, stated, “This Workshop is designed to facilitate the increase in leadership and development of professional women. It is also a platform for the 180 female students and professionals present to network, share their knowledge, discuss achievements and encourage the advancement of women across the energy sector.”
The final activity of the workshop was the Project Shark Tank competition between the participating universities in which students of Bayero University, Kano, emerged first and won a prize of N1 million.
