I joined the Society of Women Engineers (SWE) in 2007 as a graduate member while I was a master’s student at the University of Ibadan, Nigeria. Little did I know, this particular step was going to become one of the best career decisions I ever made! My SWE membership created a platform for me to continuously develop my leadership skills by representing the organization in my country, inspiring young girls, and leading other women engineers in implementing SWE’s mission.
In 2008, I became the first-ever international member of SWE to receive a program development grant. This grant allowed me to implement a project that focused on empowering young girls at Saint Anne’s Girls Secondary School in Ibadan, Nigeria, titled “Introducing Engineering to Secondary School Girls in Nigeria.” Additionally, other women engineers had the opportunity to participate as mentors. Since it was our first event, it was very well attended, and souvenirs such as tank tops, bags, rulers, and pencils with SWE branding were shipped down to Nigeria for distribution to the students. This particular event paved the way for several other projects achieved during my leadership, including “Introducing Engineering to Primary and Secondary School Girls in Nigeria,” “Engineering Career Awareness for Girls,” and “Introduce a Girl to Engineering.”
In 2015, the SWE Lagos affiliate was formed. SWE Lagos was the first SWE Affiliate formed in Nigeria. We formed the affiliate to sectionalize SWE activities in different locations across Nigeria. SWE Lagos was led by myself as the president, Dr. Grace Kennedy as the vice president, Engr Mervin Azeta as the treasurer, and Engr Morayo Ibidunni. We quickly bonded as a team with the aim of growing more members and promoting collaboration to advocate for SWE’s mission in Lagos.
Following the success of the SWE Lagos Affiliate, other SWE groups in Nigeria began to spring up, including SWE Abuja and SWE Port Harcourt.
Our first major project after forming SWE Lagos was the “Science and Engineering Practical Competition for Girls,” which took place in 2015 at the Isheri Main Hall in Lagos. This event created a platform for more than 150 girls from five secondary schools in Lagos to create innovative engineering projects and present them to the audience. The three best projects were selected by the judges, and the winners were very excited to receive their awards. The event helped to bring out the girls’ creative abilities and engineering interests, ranging from aerospace engineering, marine engineering, electrical and electronics engineering, and more. This event sparked awareness of the SWE Lagos Affiliate, leading to increased membership and participation.
Through effective leadership and team effort, the other leaders of the affiliate — Engr Mulikat Abubakar-Idris, Dr. Olayinka Adewunmi, and Engr Lois Adeyemo — and I have continued to actively promote SWE in Lagos and Nigeria through interesting mission-related projects. I have introduced several successful initiatives, including “Engineering Workshop for Girls,” “Code with Girls Lagos,” “Introduce a Girl to Engineering,” and “Girls and Engineering.” Many attendees expressed their satisfaction with the activities in their survey reports. Feedback has always been very positive. I am particularly impressed by how the SWE Lagos team efforts have been replicated in other SWE groups across Nigeria, especially the SWE Abuja Affiliate. I am very proud of the contributions I have made to lead and impact both women engineers and young girls as a SWE leader.
In 2019, I helped form the SWE University of Lagos Affiliate Group (SWE UNILAG), which was the first SWE collegiate affiliate in Nigeria. I approached my team with the idea, and they were very receptive and willing to work with me to achieve the goal. We then implemented a collegiate project at the institution which was titled “Engineering Career Workshop for Girls.” This event took place in March 2020 at the University of Lagos, and it acted as an opportunity to introduce SWE to the girls and inform them of the plan to form the new university affiliate.
We created a database for interested students and selected the new affiliate leaders. This ensured effective communication between the affiliate and the SWE Lagos Affiliate. We continued to mentor them until SWE UNILAG was officially formed. Today, the group is very active and has implemented several projects, helping to promote SWE since its inception. SWE UNILAG’s formation has been an advantage to us since we can easily track the transition from collegian to professional. We have created communication platforms that ensure a smooth transition.
Our most recent event, “Using Information Technology as a Platform for Communicating Engineering Projects,” took place in March 2024 at Saint Anne’s Girls Secondary School in Ibadan, Oyo State. Over 200 girls and 20 volunteers participated. The students had the opportunity to practice hands-on, basic engineering activities and organize them using simple tech tools such as CapCut.
SWE has helped me in so many ways. SWE has shown me how to become a leader, helped me to remain in engineering, and inspired me to start my nonprofit pet project, The James Ogunbor Education Foundation, an organization that gives children in Africa support and educational opportunities.
You can find all past and recent SWE Lagos activities under my leadership online.
I want to say thank you to SWE for providing a platform for me to build my career as a STEM professional and leader.
