WIMBIZ concludes 22nd Annual conference in grand style
By Oluwaseyi Lawal
The 22nd Annual conference of Women in Management, Business, and Public Service (WIMBIZ) Conference has been concluded, with a strong call to action for women in Nigeria and across Africa to ensure that they thrive in their careers and businesses.
The two-day event, with the theme “Mission I’mpossible: Thrive”, evolved into the flagship programme of the Wimbiz organization since it was established. The event has consistently drawn an extensive audience of over 2,000 forward-thinking women in Nigeria and the world at large.
The conference’s increasing significance is evident in the substantial support it receives and partnerships with major economic players. Independent public and private sector organizations, including banks, oil and gas companies, media entities, marketing firms, and more, have played pivotal roles in sponsoring this annual women’s programme.
Speaking on the partnership, the CEO of Optiva Capital Partners and also a speaker at the conference, Jane Kimemia-Nechi, elaborated on why Optiva Capital chose to partner with WIMBIZ.
“At Optiva Capital, we are in support of anything that has to do with the progress and success of women and WIMBIZ is a forum where women come together for motivation and support. WIMBIZ has given us the opportunity to contribute and show support in that aspect,” she said.
Jane further encouraged women not to believe in negativity as it is possible for them to thrive in every space. She stated that as long as women are willing to set their minds on it and work towards it, they are sure to achieve it regardless of the obstacles. She noted that women should be ready to drive themselves to the end and not expect to get anything on a platter.
The Executive Director of WIMBIZ, Hansatu Adegbite, in her speech, commented on how far WIMBIZ has grown since its inception and how a lot of brands and organizations from both the public and private sectors have come to show adequate support to it.
“I thank the founders for identifying, when it was right, and ensuring that WIMBIZ will thrive in the hands of the next generation of leaders. Lots of women have come into WIMBIZ over the years and have helped other women grow just like iron sharpens iron. We appreciate our board of trustees. They have helped us stand and thrive higher. They keep raising the bar for us and we keep going higher and higher.
“We were able to plan the London conference in two months and a lot has been accomplished. Thank you for the strategic oversight that has been helping us thrive. For many years, WIMBIZ had lots of female staff and just one male staff. Today, WIMBIZ at the HQ is very gender sensitive as 48 percent of our team are men and 52 percent are women,” she stated.
The founder of Bolivar Bar Lagos, Rasheda Walker, who was an attendee at the event, expressed delight. She said, “I have been hearing about WIMBIZ and this is my first time here. I am happy and honored to be in attendance today. It’s a place to network. It benefits me because I am not a Nigerian, but I am doing business in Nigeria and I’m trying to expand into an international platform of merging black women in Africa across all platforms. So, it’s a big plus for me and I’m thankful to interact with other women on the continent.”
The event also featured Optiva Capital Partners 2 Million naira empowerment grand prize, which was won by Njideka Nwabueze and Tobi Shobanke through a raffle draw.
Over the last 22 years, WIMBIZ has executed its vision by empowering and inspiring women through the Annual Conference,which has become the biggest and most inspiring conference for women in Nigeria. It has a contributory associate pool of 2,130 accomplished women in management, business and public service. WIMBIZ collaborates with credible domestic and international organizations to deliver programmes, which have positively influenced over 313,071 women to excel in their businesses and careers.
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