19th APWEN President pledges support for girls in STEM, young engineers
By Angela Atabo
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The 19th President of the Association of Professional Women Engineers of Nigeria (APWEN), Chinyere Igwegbe, has reaffirmed the association’s commitment to advancing girls in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM).
She spoke during her investiture as the new association president on Saturday in Abuja,
Igwegbe said APWEN would also support youths to be employable, entrepreneurial, problem-solving, and future-ready.
According to her, APWEN’s vision remains clear: to be the leading platform for women engineers, promoting excellence, innovation and sustainable national development.
She said APWEN would deepen its focus on research and development, strengthen collaboration with government institutions and industry, and expand programmes that empower young engineers and the girl child.
“On girl child and STEM advancement, our commitment to the girl child remains unwavering. Exposure must begin early.
” We will expand STEM programmes, including structured robotic competitions for secondary school girls and advanced robotics competitions for university students.
“Robotics is not just about machines; it is about problem-solving, teamwork, and future-readiness.
“Through mentorship, competitions, and hands-on learning, we will ensure that young girls see women engineers leading in technology and innovation.”
Igwegbe said her administration would strengthen strategic membership growth and ,build a secretariat.
She said it would strengthen entrepreneurship, partnerships to unlock opportunities for research funding, policy influence, internships, sponsorships, and global visibility.
Earlier, the President of the Nigerian Society of Engineers (NSE), Ali Rabiu, charged APWEN to intensify structured engagement with government at all levels to strengthen women’s participation in national development and influence public policy.
Rabiu also called for scholarships and grants for female engineering students, research and innovation funding for women-led solutions, stronger industry academia linkages and the integration of engineering mentorship programmes into national education frameworks.
According to him, engineering perspectives should be embedded in policymaking processes, especially in areas affecting women, girls and young professionals.
“I further charge APWEN to deliberately engage policymakers, institutions and communities to ensure that engineering perspectives inform policy design, implementation and evaluation.
“Gender inclusion in engineering is not optional but a development necessity.
“Nigeria’s development priorities in infrastructure, industrialisation and digital transformation cannot be achieved without women playing central roles in leadership and innovation.
“None of these priorities can be sustainably achieved if women remain under-represented in engineering leadership, innovation and decision-making,” he said.
The outgoing APWEN President, Adebisi Osim, noted that the association recorded significant growth in membership, partnerships and professional development initiatives across the country during her tenure.
Osim said APWEN expanded its chapters, strengthened collaborations with local and international organisations, and implemented programmes that promoted innovation, inclusivity and empowerment in engineering.
Osim said the association’s interventions in STEM education, leadership development and community outreach had created lasting impact, particularly among young people and women.
“Together, we have made remarkable impact across Nigeria, and I hand over the baton of leadership with immense joy and confidence in the new administration,” she said.
On her part, the guest speaker at the ceremony, Managing Director of Midwestern Oil and Gas Ltd, Mrs Elozino Olaniyan, said that gender inclusion was an economic imperative rather than a social gesture.
Olaniyan stated that Nigeria risked losing productivity and innovation if women remained underrepresented in engineering and technical roles.
She said recent global and national data show persistent gender gaps in STEM participation and leadership, stressing that such imbalances translate into lost growth opportunities for the economy.
Olaniyan therefore,urged stakeholders to adopt deliberate, multi-sector strategies to close the gaps by strengthening the STEM education among others.(NAN)
