By Olaseinde Gbenga, Abuja
The Chief Executive Officer/Executive Vice Chairman (CEO/EVC) of National Agency for Science and Engineering and Infrastructure (NASENI), Khalil Halilu, has disclosed that the agency is on a verge to close the gender gap in engineering, inspire the next generation, provide financing support for new ideas and projects, strengthen the entire engineering ecosystem and also double the number of female Engineers in Nigeria over the next five years.
The Chairman made this known at the official launch of “Developing Engineering Leaders Through Her” (DELT-HER), in commemoration of International Women’s Day (IWD) in Abuja on Friday at NASENI Headquarters.
The EVC highlighted that DELT-HER is an “opportunity platform”, through which girls and young women can pitch and present their exciting and groundbreaking engineering ideas, for funding by NASENI, through our collaboration with the Presidential Implementation Committee on Technology Transfer (PICTT).
“He stated that the initiative is a subset of Delta-2 programme, floated to close the gender gap in engineering practice in the country, inspire the next generation of female engineers, provide financing support for new ideas and projects, and translating them into viable businesses.”
Halilu emphasised that women should make up half of all professional spaces in the country but, for now, this is far from reality.
”The global average for female representation in engineering is 28 percent. In Nigeria, it is only five percent, only one in 20 Nigerian engineers is a woman. This awareness component of the work is one that we will take very seriously, working through schools, and storytelling campaigns.”
The EVC addressed that DELT-Her “seeks to correct the imbalance in practice and enterprise development, by focusing attention and funding on young women, and very importantly, creating and cultivating public awareness around the need to train and mentor more women into the engineering professions.”
“According to him, we intend to double the number of female engineers in Nigeria through DELT-HER over the next five years.
“This will mean working extensively at the level of secondary education, which is where young girls make the vital decisions regarding choice of professional field,” he said.
Meanwhile, the chairman, Senate Committee on NASENI, Senator Ezenwa Francis Onyewuchi who pledged his support for Women in engineering and science sector to ensure that they are given their rightful position in society.
In her keynote address, the President of the Nigerian Society of Engineers (NSE), Engr. Margaret Aina Oguntala said DELT-HER initiative sought to address the challenges of practice by the female gender, and to unlock the full potential of women in engineering.
Also, the Presidential Implementation Committee on Technology Transfer (PICTT), Dr. Mohammed Dahiru stated that, “The Committee, through continuous support of NASENI is determined to fund innovative and commercially viable ideas in engineering and technology-oriented proposals by women, adding that the platform marks the beginning of a chain of events which are expected to lead to engineering start-up companies owned and run by women.”