Female leaders have urged women to break social and economic barriers in their industries while making their voices heard.
Temitayo Lore Dada, trade commissioner, Global Affairs, Canada, said women must take up the space and make their voices heard in their different domains.
Speaking at the BusinessDay’s ‘Inspiring Women Series’ held in Lagos on Wednesday, Dada shared an example of a fight in a ring between a heavyweight champion and a skinny opponent. She noted that the skinny opponent has a chance to win if armed with the right strategies.
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“Punch above your weight class, because you just may win,” she said at the event themed, ‘The Audacity to Dare.’
Margaret Olele, CEO of the American Business Council, stated that the first step to achieving success as a woman is to be self-aware. “You have to be self-aware and also love yourself, or else you won’t understand who you are and where you want to be.”
She said there’s a misconception that those who are the loudest are the boldest. However, she argued that, “if you understand yourself better, you’ll have the audacity to dare.”
Dada called on countries to institutionalise programmes that support vulnerable communities like women, and children, the way it is done in Canada.
“We are fostering avenues to put women in powerful rooms. When you’re in a room, make sure that your presence and voice are felt and that you impact the room,” she said.
Olele further said that the need to create equal opportunities doesn’t imply creating separate standards for women.
“We would give opportunities based on the highest standards possible. However, we should create equity in the opportunities and ensure that the standards are still held up,” she stated.
In response to taking over uncharted territories, Olele said that women should strive to understand the industry, build relationships and have a 360-degree understanding of the people in the space, including the policies in the space.
She noted, “Mentoring is critical, and it’s not mentoring for mentoring sake.
“Go for mentors who can give you the right support systems. Understand what you need in a mentoring space. It’s not just for the show of it, there’s a calling that women should pass on the torch,” she said.
Isi Igenegba, co-founder, Strom Global Services Limited, said: “When more women do it, it inspires more women to take action.” She noted that audacity will shape the next generation when people begin to teach the women of this generation how to dare.
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“Teach them to arrive at a place where audacity can bear results,” she noted. She said that through the power of education, more women will step out of cultural limitations and restrictions. “That’s how audacity works – by women empowering younger women more women will speak and rise.”
“Tie yourself to mentorship and tutors, and do not shy away from the table. Do not run away from being at the right tables,” Igeneba added.
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