Women can lead, say teams 'Methodist Girls' and 'Unilag' - in a scintillating debate

Oragnised by the African Women's Entrepreneurship Program (AWEP) in continuous commemoration of International Women's Day, a thrilling two-team debate tagged "How can we increase the number of women in leadership positions?" was held at the Methodist Girls' High School, in Lagos-Nigeria.

In Team 1: Presentations by Deborah, Tomisin, Motunrayo and Daniella (students of the Methodist Girls' High School)

In Team 2: Favour and Mercy held forte for the University of Lagos

Six young ladies and six individual opinions later, it was beyond impressive to see each one holding their own, belting out statistics (Harvard saying that hiring women increased profitability by 15%), talking about the importance of policies, STEM education, mentorship ('Mercy-the-Mathematician' profusely thanked Dr. Ibilola Amao, founder of Lonadek, for setting her on a rewarding career path), and the potential effects of a larger crop of women leaders on the country's Gross National Product (GNP)!

Each of the five judges - Oluyemisi Ogundipe (President, AWEP Nigeria); Funmi Suleman (Vice-President, AWEP South West); Dr. Ibilola Amao (Founder & CEO, Lonadek); Babafemi Ogundipe; Yomi Afolabi (CEO, Simply African); and Anne Agbakoba (Publisher, Bank & Entrepreneur Africa) - agreed that all six ladies were winners in their own right.

Says Babafemi Ogundipe: "Today, we discovered leaders with different, amazing strengths; orator, statistician, teacher, researcher, confident presenter. It is a rewarding experience, and they will be encouraged not just to succeed, but also to influence others positively"

The winning prizes were as impactful - the opportunity for a one-on-one mentorship with select members of AWEP, and continuous capacity building.