By Josephine Agbonkhese

The United Bank for Africa, UBA, yesterday, joined the global community to mark this year’s International Women’s Day, IWD, with a call to women and girls to brave the odds and continue to strive to impact their world.

Dubbed ‘Against the Odds: The Impact of Women’, the event, a UBA Business Series initiative, attracted to the ace financial institution’s corporate headquarters in Lagos, women from diverse walks of life and ages.

Among speakers at the event which featured a line-up of successful women who have carved a niche for themselves in various industries, were the Board Chairman, Africa Prudential Plc, Chief Eniola Fadayomi; actress and influencer, Nancy Isime; Flora Fabyan, MD, BOI Investment and Trust Company Limited; and Faraja Kotta Nyalandu, Founder/CEO, Shule Direct, Tanzania.

Arguing that a country’s progress is defined by how much it invests in its human resource, Nyalandu, in her keynote address, queried how much is being invested in the potentials of women through the power of education and learning opportunities.

“When a woman is empowered to achieve her potential, there is a ripple effect on her decisions, family and overrall health,” she argued.

“The type of children that she’s going to raise in terms of them being healthy, responsible and educated, is actually very different,” she added.

The highpoint of the event was a panel session comprising the trio of Fadayomi, Isime and Fabyan, each highlighting the odds in spite of which they thrived in their various fields.

Isime identified being in the spotlight as a common challenge faced by celebrities, saying, “You cannot behave a certain way, talk a certain way or be in certain places. The world is quick to label you and when they cannot label you, or put you in a box, you remain a target.”

“Having to prove oneself twice as hard as a man can be really undermining,” Fabyan added.

Asserting that women seeking to succeed in business or career must be willing to put their ten toes to the ground, Isime said: “I have been around a lot of successful women and I can tell you they don’t play. A lot of them do not even sleep because there is a vision that keeps them awake. When you are a woman, you have to put in ten times the efforts men put into their work.”

She, however, urged women to learn to trust their intuition at all times when making decisions, describing belief in oneself as a tested and tried recipe for success in life’s endeavours.

“If you want to be successful, your best friend is your intuition. You, will tell yourself exactly what to do. You can get a second opinion but trust me, if it doesn’t align with what you think inside, the chances of it being successful is slim. You must learn to trust yourself,” she said.

Highlighting practical steps necessary for building financial stability and generational wealth, Fabyan admonished women to be extremely cautious of who they partner, whether in marriage or outside of marriage.

“Also, you must engage actively in budgeting, saving, investing, and building a side hustle regardless of your 9-5 job,” she added.

Fadayomi, on her part, cautioned women against constantly seeking to be excused at work and meetings on the grounds of domestic responsibilities even though men can be very accommodating.

According to her, such absenteeism hampers the chances of being considered when decisions on promotion and upgrade are being taken in the workplace.

Earlier in her welcome address, Beatrice Akpan, Regional Head, UBA Group, Lagos Island II, reiterated the bank’s commitment to empowering women and accelerating progress in line with this year’s International Women’s Day celebration themed ‘Accelerate Action’.

She said: “Over the years as an institution, we have fostered an inclusive system by promoting gender equality. At board levels, across countries and also in our various departments, you find women leading key positions. We have created an enduring environment for women across Africa and we will continue to do more.”

Also present at the event anchored by Gbemileke Oscar Oyinsan were the Chairman, Punch Newspapers, Angela Emuwa; Group Head of Marketing, UBA Group, Alero Ladipo, and other notable executives.