My name is Odegua Florence Ogunbor, and I am the current President of the SWE International Affiliate in Lagos, Nigeria. I am a Lead Consultant at Pedagogic Consulting, Nigeria and also the Founder and President of the James Ogunbor Education Foundation (JOEF) in Nigeria as well as the CEO of Flourish Agribusiness Group, Nigeria.
I have a bachelor’s degree in Chemical Engineering and a master’s degree in Industrial and Production Engineering. Currently, I am a Ph.D. student in Production Engineering at the University of Benin, Nigeria. I have been a SWE member since 2007 and an active volunteer from 2008 – present. My early professional career started in the IT industry in 2009, but I became a Process Engineer/Production Shift Manager in 2013 in the Agro – Food Processing industry in Nigeria. I decided to become an entrepreneur in 2015.
I became a SWE Ambassador because I wanted to be a resource for awareness and inspiration to young girls and women who may find themselves experiencing challenges peculiar to women who want to pursue their dreams in fields such as engineering and technology, generally perceived as male domains. I wanted to create a platform for them to be properly informed, encouraged and empowered.
I started volunteering for the SWE organization in 2008, when I won my first grant to manage the project titled “Increasing Awareness of the Engineering Profession Among Secondary School Girls in Nigeria.” I became the first international member to win a SWE grant. Since then, with the support of the Program Development Grant Committee, I have continued to volunteer for SWE by managing outreach projects that impact young girls especially in primary and secondary schools in Nigeria. I have managed more than 13 projects for SWE in Nigeria such as Develop, Design and Discover Girls Innovating with Engineering, Engineering Workshop for Girls, Science and Engineering Practical Competition for Girls, Engineering Field Trip for Girls, etc.
In 2015, I met with another SWE member in Nigeria (Grace Kennedy) to discuss the possibility of setting up a SWE Affiliate, and with her cooperation and that of other members such as Mervin Azeta and Ibindunni Osanbiyi, the SWE Lagos Affiliate was formed. This group has successfully implemented two projects since its inception and reached more than 250 girls through the projects Engineering Workshop for Girls and Code with Girls, Lagos. We currently have six active members.
View links to pictures of SWE Lagos Affiliate activities in Nigeria.
Thank You
Odegua Florence Ogunbor
President
SWE Affiliate – Lagos, Nigeria
