WIMBIZ 20th Anniversary and Annual Conference will tell the stories of pacesetters and celebrate women who have shattered glass ceilings
By Eberechi Obinagwam,
Women in Management, Business and Public Service, (WIMBIZ) has announced plans to mark its 20th anniversary and annual conference with the theme: “Celebrating Legacy”
The anniversary according to the WIMBIZ executive director, Hansatu Adegbite, will have an interesting line-up of iconic events and legendary personalities to grace the week-long celebrations. It will be specially curated to spotlight the non-profit’s 20-year contribution to elevating the status of women in Nigeria and Africa.
She disclosed in a statement that WIMBIZ is focused on nation-building and that one person or group cannot build a nation, “we all have a role to play in the development of our nation especially as it concerns gender parity and exclusivity,” WIMBIZ executive director said.
She noted that The 20th WIMBIZ Anniversary and Annual Conference will tell the stories of pacesetters and celebrate women who have shattered ceilings, overcome adversity, broken stereotypes, enabled empowerment and created opportunities for all.
She said: “For the first time in the history of WIMBIZ, five pre-conference events will be rolled out to commemorate this 20th anniversary – legends Ball, Art and Fashion Exhibition, Golf Tournament, Virtual Masterclasses and a special edition of its Big Sister (a corporate social responsibility programme).”
She added that the Chairperson of the Executive Council, WIMBIZ, Ngover Ihyembe Nwankwo, at a recent briefing stated thus: “We are excited to reflect on the WIMBIZ story and our journey thus far, it has been an awesome run; but where do we go from here? We are still very challenged. When we look at the numbers of representation, particularly in politics, we are still significantly underrepresented. So, on the one hand, we are celebrating progress, on the other hand, there is still a lot to be done. We encourage everyone to join us so we work as a collective to build a new narrative for women. The power is in our hands,” she said.
Chief Folake Solanke, CON- Nigeria’s first female Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), and Chairman/Publisher of The Guardian Newspapers, Lady Maiden Alex are the Chairpersons for the main conference, while Director-General of the World Trade Organisation, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala; Economist and Founder, Stanbic IBTC Bank Plc, Atedo Peterside, CON; former Chairman, First Bank of Nigeria, Ibukun Awosika, as well as Founder, Guaranty Trust Bank Plc, Fola Adeola are to grace the occasion.
The event is scheduled for the 4th and 5th of November, 2021.
WIMBIZ is a non-profit organisation that has, over the last 18 years, implemented programs that inspire, empower and advocate for greater representation of women in leadership positions in the public and private sector.