Workshop Seeks to Promote Entrepreneurial Women in Nigeria

Emeka Ibemere

The U.S. Department of State’s Global Innovation through Science and Technology (GIST) initiative, in cooperation with the U.S. Consulate in Lagos, on May 18th, kicked off a networking workshop for 25 science and technology entrepreneurs to promote women’s access to entrepreneurship resources.

This workshop in Lagos, which is being implemented by the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), is a series of workshops - GIST Women’s Village Workshops is to be held throughout Africa in 2016.

Science and technology entrepreneurs attended a two day workshop where they learned how to network, build successful entrepreneurship ecosystems, and leverage resources to benefit women entrepreneurs.

Each entrepreneur is now challenged to increase awareness and improve access for women entrepreneurs by teaching what they have learned to 60 people within 6 months of completing the workshop, and to expand the reach.

At the opening session of the workshop, Public Affairs Officer Dehab Ghebreab said, “the entrepreneurship ecosystem in Lagos is developing and we see a great deal of interest from women who are eager to enhance their capacity.  In partnership with various organizations, we have recently supported workshops for women in computer coding, business acumen, and Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) subjects.  We are delighted to support the GIST Women’s Village Workshop in Lagos.”

The GIST Women’s Village Workshop is an important way for the entrepreneurship community in Nigeria to empower its science and technology innovators through networking and skills building, showing support to those who have the confidence to take the risks necessary to make their ideas reality.

Launched in 2011, GIST is led by the U.S. Department of State.  GIST focuses on empowering young science and technology innovators through capacity building, mentoring, and networking.  This series of GIST Women’s Village Workshops is implemented by AAAS, the world’s largest general scientific society and publisher of the Science family of journals.  GIST launched the GIST Network to expand its reach and improve access to financing, mentorship, and provide a strong peer community to the most connected generation of entrepreneurs in history.