The International Women’s Day is here and we are super excited!!!
International Wommen’s Day provides an important moment to showcase commitment to women’s equality, launch new initiatives and action, celebrate women’s achievements, raise awareness, highlight gender equality gains and more.
It is a day that is celebrated and supported by industries, governments, educational institutions, community groups, professional associations, women’s networks, charities and non-profit bodies, the media and more.
This year’s theme #BalanceforBetter focuses on a balanced world and a more gender-balanced world, celebrating women’s achievement and raising awareness against bias and to take action for equality.
Women all around the world have made a tremendous impact, that is worthy of emulation and celebration
We will be celebrating outstanding women that have made an impact in their chosen fields.
Amina Mohammed
Amina Jane Mohammed is the current Deputy Secretary-General of the United Nations and was a former Minister of Environment in Nigeria.
Amina Mohamed worked with Archcon Nigeria in association with Norman and Dawbarn United Kingdom between 1981 and 1991.
In 1991, she founded Afri-Projects Consortium, and from 1991 to 2001 she was its Executive Director.
Amina Mohammed coordinated the Task Force on Gender and Education for the United Nations Millennium Project, she later acted as the Senior Special Assistant to the President of Nigeria on the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). Amina later became the Founder and CEO of the Center for Development Policy Solutions and as an Adjunct Professor for the Masters in Development Practice program at Columbia University. During that time, she served on numerous international advisory boards and panels, including the UN Secretary-General’s High-level Panel on Post-2015 Development Agenda and the Independent Expert Advisory Group on the Data Revolution for Sustainable Development. She also chaired the Advisory Board of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) Global Monitoring Report on Education (GME).
From 2012, Mohammed was a key player in the Post-2015 Development Agenda process, serving as the Special Adviser to UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Post-2015 development planning and several other activities she carried out.
She served as the federal Minister of Environment in the cabinet of President Muhammadu Buhari from November 2015 to December 2016, which she was Nigeria’s representative in the African Union (AU) Reform Steering Committee, chaired by Paul Kagame. In 2017, United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres announced Amina Mohammed as Deputy Secretary-General of the United Nations.
Some of her recognition includes
National Honours Award of the Order of the Federal Republic (2006)
Nigerian Women’s Hall of Fame (2007)
Ford Family Notre Dame Award for International Development and Solidarity (2015)
Diplomat of the Year Awards (2017)
Aishah Ahmad
Aishah Ahmad is a Nigerian accountant, financial analyst and financial manager and currently the Deputy Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, Prior to her appointment, she was the Head, Consumer and Privilege Banking at Diamond Bank.
Aishah Amina had a degree in Accounting from the University of Abuja and her masters in Business Administration, majoring in finance which obtained from the University of Lagos. She also holds a Master of Science degree in Finance and Management, awarded by the Cranfield School of Management in the United Kingdom. She is a Chartered Alternative Investment Analyst (CAIA) and a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA).
She started out in the private sector as a Group Accountant at “Manstructs Group Nigeria Limited” then proceeded to work at Z.O. Ososanya & Company. She transferred to First Interstate Bank (Nigeria) Plc as Executive Assistant, Treasury Group.
Later, she worked as head of Retail Banking at Zenith Bank Plc and as Head of Private Banking at NAL Bank Plc, which today trades as Sterling Bank (Nigeria). She has also served as the head of business development at Zenith Capital Limited.
Other assignments in the past have included stints at the Bank of New York Mellon in the United Kingdom and at Synesix Financial Limited, also in the United Kingdom. From 2009 until 2014, she served in various capacities at Stanbic IBTC Holdings, including as Head, High Net Worth Individuals.
Ibukun Awosika
Ibukun Awosika is a Nigerian businesswoman, author and motivational speaker and currently serves as Chairman of First Bank of Nigeria. She graduated with a B.Sc in Chemistry from Obafemi Awolowo University, she also holds postgraduate and MBA certificates in several business programmes at the Lagos Business School and IESE Business School.
Ibukun worked as an audit trainee at Akintola Williams & Co. upon her love for architecture before she left for Alibert Nigeria Ltd. as showroom manager. In her quest to be independent, she established a furniture manufacturing company called Quebees Limited in 1989 before it evolved into The Chair Centre Limited and later SOKOA Chair Centre Limited following a venture merge with SOKOA S.A and Guaranty Trust Bank in 2004.
A fellow of the African Leadership Initiative and Aspen Global Leadership Network, Ibukun is a member of the Nigerian Economic Summit Group, member of the board of Nigerian Sovereign Wealth Fund and former Chairperson, Board of Trustees of Women in Management, Business and Public Service.
In 2011, she co-founded the Afterschool Graduate Development Centre, a career centre established in order to checkmate the high rate of unemployment in Nigeria.
On September 7, 2015, Ibukun became the first woman to be appointed Chairman of First Bank of Nigeria.
She also sits on the board of Digital Jewel Limited and Cadbury Nig Plc
In 2008, Ibukun was among five Nigerian entrepreneurs who appeared in the first African version of the Dragon’s Den. She also hosts a T.V programme called Business His Way.
Some of her recognition includes
Entrepreneur of The Year, Female Entrepreneur of the Year, Best Female Entrepreneur of The Year, Model Entrepreneur Award of The Year
International Women Society Award Golden Heart Award
International Women Entrepreneurial Challenge Award
2015 YNaija Person of The Year.
Bukola Smith
Bukola Smith holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Economics from the University of Lagos, and also holds an MBA from Manchester Business School, University of Manchester, United Kingdom.
She started her banking career with FSB International Bank (now part of Fidelity Bank) and her experience cuts across Customer Service, Funds Transfer, International Trade, Institutional Banking, Private Banking, Treasury, Investment & Financial Markets, Project & Structured Finance, Audit and Sales. She became a Chartered Accountant in 1998 and is currently a fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accounts of Nigeria (ICAN). She is an Associate Member of the Certified Institute of Pensions, Nigeria and also a Committee member of CIBN Annual Conference (Honorary Member of CIBN). In addition, she is a Mentor with Wiscar (Women in Success Careers).
She rose to the position of Divisional Head, Treasury and Institutional Banking in Fidelity Bank Ltd before joining First City Monument Bank Limited (FCMB) in the year 2006 where she has occupied several positions as the Group Head, Treasury and Financial Institutions, Divisional Head, Investment Banking and Financial Markets, Director Project and Structured Finance, and Divisional Head, Group Internal Audit.
Prior to her appointment as Executive Director, she was the Regional Head, Lagos Region of the Bank.
Olajumoke Adenowo
Olajumoke Olufunmilola Adenowo is an award-winning African architect, entrepreneur and philanthropist. She is also a public speaker, radio host and author. She is the founder of the boutique architecture and interior design firm AD Consulting, based in Lagos, Nigeria. CNN described her as “Africa’s Starchitect” and The Guardian (Nigeria) has described her as “the face of Architecture in Nigeria”.
In 2018 she was recognised by the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) as one of the most inspirational women in architecture today.
Adenowo has been featured in the world’s foremost architectural journal Architectural Record and has spoken at summits and conferences including the Global Women’s Forum and Harvard Business School (African Business Club). She hosts a syndicated radio show on leadership “Voice of Change”.
As an architect, Adenowo’s portfolio includes a host of multi-national and Nigerian clients including Coca-Cola, L’Oreal, The Nigerian Stock Exchange, Sterling Bank Plc and Intercontinental Bank Plc.
As a public speaker, Adenowo has lectured on the arts, architecture, gender issues, women’s empowerment and entrepreneurialism in Africa.