Nigerian Exchange Group, last Wednesday, March 2, 2022, opened the commemoration of the International Women’s Day 2022 with a series of Closing Gong Ceremonies to celebrate female board chairpersons and Chief Executives of listed companies and their affiliates who were appointed during the 2021 fiscal year.
Amongst female business leaders celebrated, according to a statement by the group, were Dr. Omobola Johnson, Chair, Guinness Nigeria Plc; Mrs. Bola Adesola, Chairman, Ecobank Nigeria; Erelu Angela Adebayo, Chairperson, NGX Real Estate, Mrs Catherine Echeozo, Chairperson, NGX Regulation. Ms. Tinuade Awe, Chief Executive Officer, NGX Regulation; Mrs. Yemisi Edun, Managing Director, First City Monument Bank Limited; and Mrs. Nneka Onyeali-Ikpe, Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer, Fidelity Bank Plc.
They were joined as special guests to celebrate the accomplishments of these female business leaders by Dr. (Mrs.) Ajoritsedere Awosika, Chairperson, Access Bank Plc and Mrs. Oyeyimika Adeboye, Chief Executive Officer/Managing Director, Cadbury Nigeria Plc, and Mrs Elizabeth Ebi, Group Managing Director/CEO, Futureview Group. The events were also attended by Mr Kalim Shah, Senior Country Manager, Nigeria, IFC, under the banner of the Nigeria2Equal programme.
The events which ended on Friday, February 4, 2022, were hosted in line with The Exchange’s ongoing collaboration with International Finance Corporation (IFC) aimed at reducing the gender gap in leadership, employment, and entrepreneurship under the Nigeria2Equal programme.
The IWD celebration is billed to continue, according to a statement with a virtual symposium on the theme, “Break the Bias: Gender Equality Today for a Sustainable Tomorrow,” on Tuesday, March 8, 2022, bringing together high-quality male and female industry leaders to highlight the positive contributions of women across various spectrums.
This will culminate in a digital Closing Gong Ceremony to advocate for gender equality, in collaboration with IFC, Sustainable Stock Exchanges (SSE) Initiative, United Nations (UN) Women, UN Global Compact (UNGC) and World Federation of Exchanges (WFE). The statement urged interested participants to register at www.ngxgroup.com/iwd2022
Confirmed speakers include Ms. Awe; Oscar Onyema, Group CEO, NGX Group; Temi Popoola, CEO, NGX Limited; Dame Pauline Tallen, Minister of Women Affairs, Federal Republic of Nigeria; Amb. Mariam Yalwaji Katagum, Federal Minister of State for Industry, Trade and Investment, Nigeria; Lansana Wonneh, UN Women Deputy Representative; Kevin Njiraini, Regional Director, Southern Africa & Nigeria, IFC; Ms. Tokunboh Ishmael, MD/CEO, Alitheia Capital; Kalim M. Shah, Senior Country Manager for Nigeria, IFC; Ms. Kathy Mignano, Operations Officer, Inclusive Business, Gender and Economic Inclusion Group, IFC; Ms. Robyn Oates, Sustainable Finance Specialist, UN Women; among others.
