Nigerian writer Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie. (Photo by Rolf Vennenbernd / POOL / AFP)

Award-winning author, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie and GTBank’s first female Chairman, Osaretin Demuren, are billed to serve as a keynote speaker and conference chairperson, respectively, at the 21st yearly conference of the Women in Management, Business and Public Service (WIMBIZ).

The conference, which will hold physically and online from November 3-4, 2022, at Eko Hotels & Suites, Lagos, is themed, ‘Firing Forward: The Future in Focus.

Other speakers for the conference are former President of the Senate, Abubakar Bukola Saraki, and Lagos State Commissioner for Women Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, Cecilia Bolaji Dada.

According to the Executive Director of WIMBIZ, Hansatu Adegbite, the organization has developed valuable partnerships over the years and was operating with a leaner structure as a result of its era of leadership transition.

She also stated that “partners such as sponsors, donors, media partners, stakeholders as well as WIMBIZ Associates and Life Members are critical to the continued vision attainment of the organization.”

According to her, over the last 20 years, key teachings at past conferences on diverse gender-focused initiatives, cutting across the business, economy, social sector, politics, and equal opportunities have helped in inspiring more women to attain leadership positions as well as build key partnerships.

This, she said, informed the choice of this year’s speakers.
“This year’s speakers have been carefully selected based on asset-enhancing strategies they have to share with the delegates for collective nation-building, while the theme aptly speaks to a new era with a fired-up mission,” she added.

She disclosed that in addition to keynote presentations, delegates would participate in WIMBIZ’s signature debate, deep dives, plenary sessions, and after-party, noting that registration was ongoing on the conference website.

The WIMBIZ annual conference is the leading gathering of female business owners, private sector professionals, public sector leaders, and social sector practitioners worldwide. Over 15,000 women have been delegates at the conference since 2002.

Past speakers include Her Excellency, the wife of Nigeria’s Vice President, Mrs. Dolapo Osinbajo; Director-General of the World Trade Organisation, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala; former Lagos State governor, Mr. Babatunde Fashola (SAN) and Africa’s first Nobel Prize for Literature recipient, Wole Soyinka.