Women delegates have called for the prioritisation of building bridges within themselves to enable them to deliver their primary role to society.
This was the summary of submissions at the maiden UpYou Women Conference 2023, held at the Ebony Life Place, Victoria Island, Lagos with international simulcast on social platforms.
The full-day conference, under the theme, ‘Building Bridges from Within’, delivered an array of captivating presentations including those of the keynote speaker Julia Oku on Bridges and Breaches, Bimbo Oloyede (Media Capability as a Tool for Building Bridges from Within – Perspectives for the 21st Century Woman), Fadekemi Olumide-Aluko (Learning and Unlearning Yourself – an Educator’s Perspective), and Dr. Irene Olumese (Building Bridges of Inclusivity).
Microfinance advocate, Mrs. Isoken Nwabunka spoke on Building Bridges for Life: From Grit to Grace, while Ms. Sola Ismail advised delegates on Building Financial Bridges.
A distinguished four-women panel tackled vital subjects such as Building Bridges after Adversity (Unyime-Ivy King), the Pivotal Role of Listening in Bridge-building (Ebele Chukwujama), the Necessity for Every Woman to be a Bridge (Vinitha Nimmyel), and the Art of Building Bridges from Silence (Titiola Vivour Adeniyi).
Delegates at the conference embarked on a transformative journey to network, learn, unlearn, and relearn principles essential for constructing bridges that connect or reconnect them for growth in the future.
The hybrid conference welcomed participation from delegates from Cameroon, Ghana, and the Republic of Benin, while virtual attendees joined in from the United Kingdom, the United States, Canada, South Africa, and Bahrain.
The Convener of the conference, Ezinne Kufre-Ekanem, who is also presenter of the radio show UpYou with Ezinne, Ezinne Kufre-Ekanem, explained that the conference theme, ‘Building Bridges from Within’, holds profound significance.
She said: “It represents the inherent power within each of us to establish connections, break down barriers, and foster lasting change. It underscores the importance of dismantling walls and constructing bridges that unite us across gender, age, race, and socioeconomic divides. These bridges symbolise support, understanding, and collaboration – the structures that propel women toward success and a brighter collective future”.
