In the spirit of International
Women’s Day (IWD), BizWatch Nigeria, the country’s foremost business news
publishing platform, on Wednesday, March 30, 2022, hosted a webinar tagged –
“Women in Business: Breaking Barriers, Blazing Pathways.”
The webinar had Bisi Adeyemi,
President, Nigeria British Chamber of Commerce (NBCC); Adeidunnu Uba, Founding
Partner at Prolyseis; and Uchenna Onwuamaegbu-Ugwu, Managing Director of Edufun
Technik STEM, as speakers and was well attended by business enthusiasts and
women across all walks of life.
In the course of the webinar hosted
by media relations guru, Amina Omoike; Adeyemi, the Keynote Speaker, stated
that for gender barriers to be broken, there needs to be a paradigm shift that
will be embraced by everyone.
“We need to first individually change
our thinking, which would have a direct influence on our approaches to things.
If we indeed desire a change, we need to consider doing things differently,
such that the change we so much desire will be inevitable,” she said.
While noting that women are critical
to nation-building and wealth development, the NBCC chief charged them to be
very resilient and determined to break certain barriers.
“You need to build resilience with
good character and you need good character, competence, courage/confidence,
connection, contribution, coping and control, to break the existing barriers
that impede women from thriving in their chosen fields.
“To be financially tough, one has to
be financially independent, spend wisely, have a budget, invest and save.
“One key point to breaking the
barrier is to also have a vision/goal. Your goal will direct you, help you stay
focused and help you actualize your goals. Define your purpose and be ambitious
as well,” Adeyemi added, as she maintained women need to make the right
choices, avoid procrastination and be well-organised.
Corroborating the NBCC President’s
statements, Uba lamented how women often feel limited owing to lack of
confidence and imposter syndrome effects.
While encouraging everyone, including
women to be intentional as it relates to building self-confidence, Uba stated:
“To break the imposter syndrome we as women need to hold businesses
accountable. Another way to step out of imposter syndrome is to ask tough
questions.
“Business tips: be clear about what
you want to achieve, give your business time to grow, be patient, grow your
network, and be intentional about what you are doing.”
On her part, Onwuamaegbu-Ugwu urged
women to be courageous and do what they need to do with their heads up high
paying no attention to detractors and naysayers.
The event saw the unveiling of the 22 most inspiring Nigerian Women in
Business by BizWatch Nigeria.
