Thriving Women Conference 2024: ‘Dare to Dream’ empowers women to pursue their goals
Women worldwide have been encouraged to be open to opportunities and to actively pursue their aspirations at the inaugural Thriving Women Conference 2024, organised by Nigerian NewsDirect.
The conference, held on Wednesday, July 17, 2024, with the theme “Dare to Dream.”
Panellists included Founder of Laju Iren Films, Pastor Laju Iren; Head, Human Resources and Administration at Airtel Nigeria, Adebimpe Ayo Elias; Head of People and Culture at ThriveAgric, Favour Eze, all of whom gave varying admonitions are strategies for surviving, and more importantly, reforming workplace biases.
During the panel discussion, Founder of Laju Iren Films, Pastor Laju Iren, shared her insights on women empowerment. She asserted that while women inherently possess power, they often need encouragement to realise it. Pastor Iren recounted her personal experience of learning to drive for three years without successfully forming the habit until she saw someone her age achieve the same goal.
She stated, “I learned how to drive for three years but didn’t cultivate the habit until I saw someone of my age do the same thing. This was an encouragement to me.” She advised women to surround themselves with supportive individuals who celebrate women’s achievements rather than feel threatened by them.
Addressing gender bias in the workplace, Head, Human Resources and Administration at Airtel Nigeria, Adebimpe Ayo Elias, acknowledged that while gender bias has been a persistent issue, individual contributions remain significant. She urged women to dream big and make their voices heard, saying,
“We create an environment where people try to thrive. Gender bias has always existed, but everyone’s contribution counts. Every woman needs to dream and make her voice count.”
She noted that tackling workplace gender bias must begin from the recruitment, as is the case in Airtel Nigeria, which provides equal opportunities.
Head of People and Culture at ThriveAgric, Favour Eze, speaking about the importance of combating discrimination and bias against women, emphasised that women should not be held back by discrimination but should instead thrive in their respective fields.
Adebimpe Ayo Elias further encouraged women to embrace opportunities and mentioned several successful women in technology as examples. She concluded with the advice, “Be bold, think big. A life with dreams will go far. Imagine possible things, take risks, step out and step up, make mistakes, and embrace change.”
When asked about the schemes Nigeria lacks to help women become better versions of themselves, Adebimpe suggested that continuous learning, building confidence, and surrounding oneself with the right people are essential. She recommended that women be open to mentoring and seek to improve themselves actively.
On mentorship, all participants encouraged women to “go after mentorship passionately,” not waiting for it to come to them.
Chevening scholar and poet, Moyosore Agboola, offered a final piece of advice: “Stop shrinking; there are many layers to you, let them shine.”
The Thriving Women Conference successfully provided a platform for women to reflect on their dreams, seek inspiration, and gain practical advice for overcoming challenges and achieving their goals.
Executive Director, Nigerian NewsDirect, Ibiyemi Mathew, delivering his speech, highlighted that the conference was a continuation of his late father, Dr Samuel Ibiyemi’s vision. Dr Samuel Ibiyemi, the Founding Publisher of Nigerian NewsDirect, dreamed of creating a platform to inspire and build confidence among women.
Highlighting the gender pay gap, the Executive Director noted that the drive to organise the conference also stemmed from statistics that “the World Economic Forum (WEF) estimated that it would take approximately 132 years to close the gender pay gap at the current rate of progress.”
Mathew emphasised that the conference serves as a call to action for women to pursue their dreams and seek opportunities in various fields such as telecommunications, marketing, banking, entrepreneurship, and filmmaking.
