APWEN urges female Engineers

The Association of Professional Women Engineers of Nigeria (APWEN) has urged women engineers in the country to explore the opportunities that abound in the water and power sectors to drive the nation’s industrialization.

The National President of APWEN,  Engr. Nnoli Akpedeye made the call at the 2015 International Women’s Day Celebration seminar of the association which held in Abuja, through her representative, Engr. Elizabeth Oricha, a past chairman of the Abuja Chapter of the association.

Akpedeye urged female engineers to rise up to the emerging innovations in engineering and make their contributions to the power and water sectors as they are the foundation for national development. She called for more participation of women engineers in the water and power sectors through the use of their engineering skills to impact humanity by introducing innovations and inventions.

Also speaking, Engr   Gladys Nwosah, Chairman of APWEN Abuja chapter said that the theme of the workshop, “APWEN Women: Driving Socio-Economic Development in Power and Water Engineering Sectors’’, was chosen to empower women engineers in the two sectors.

She said APWEN decided to focus on this theme in 2015 to draw the attention of women to these two key sectors of the economy as there is no industry that can strive without water and power.

According to her, water and power are the driving forces for industrialization of any nation and as engineers, it is important for women engineers to deploy their professional skills to these areas.

“Women engineers are being propelled to pay attention to emerging developments in the water and power sectors. We should take advantage of the economic opportunities in these sectors and contribute to our country’s industrialization process,’’ she said.

Engr Nwosah commended Nigerian women, who have continued to contribute to their communities and the country, through their courage and determination to excel in the face of difficulties.

She noted that many women engineers are making marks in the building sector and other related industries, urging young girls to emulate their contributions. 

She also charged women to keep forging ahead to help in the development of the nation, beginning from their nuclear individual families.

“Women should not feel inferior. A woman should be proud of her gender and find a way to contribute to the family and the nation she belongs to. Whatever a woman can do to add value, she should do so without looking back. If she is blessed with resources, she should use it to develop her family without waiting for the man to carry all the burdens,” she said.