Developing Engineering Leaders Through Her (DELT-HER), a federal government initiative aimed at nurturing into fruition innovative ideas among female engineers to improve the Nigeria’s economy, was recently unveiled. BINTA SHAMA reports.
Study has shown that gender imbalance in the engineering sector in Nigeria has worsened over the years. It is therefore critical to channel available resources at creating a paradigm shift.
Available data from the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) shows women make up an average of 22 per cent of the total number of engineering and technology graduates.
The largest disparity is found in postgraduate enrolment between male and female in engineering and technology, and this was estimated at 12.06 per cent for female while male enrolment was 87.4 per cent. This reflects that a lot more females lose interest in the pursuance of a career in engineering after a first degree.
All these boldy translate to an overall level of female participation in the Nigerian engineering practice which stands at about five per cent. This falls short of the global average of around 28 per cent. Nigeria’s economy would potentially attract massive gains from harnessing increased female innovative activities in engineering and technology to it.
Fostering Innovation
And to arrest the trend, the National Agency for Science and Engineering Infrastructure (NASENI), in collaboration with the Presidential Implementation Committee on Technology Transfer (PiCTT), came up with this initiative to nurture female talent, foster innovation and as well build a supportive ecosystem.
The initiative is said to have the potential to transform the nation’s technological landscape and unlock a brighter future for all. A call for proposals was launched 9th March 2024 and closes 20th May 2024, to receive innovative ideas from female engineers.
Successful applications would be funded by the Nigerian government, while also partnering with experienced professionals in engineering and business to serve as mentors that would support the ideas/innovations to become startup companies. The mentored female engineers would be the mentors for future projects under this initiative.
Bridging the gender gap
In his remarks, Executive Vice Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of NASENI, Mr. Khalil Suleiman Halilu, said the agency would double the number of female engineers in Nigeria over the next five years through this initiative.
According to him, DELT-Her, a subset of Delta-2 programme, is floated to close the gender gap in engineering practice in the country, inspire next generation of female engineers, provide financing support for new ideas and projects, translating them into viable businesses, and ultimately to strengthen the entire engineering ecosystem.
Halilu said: “DELT-Her is what I call an opportunity platform”, through which girls and young women can pitch and present their exciting and groundbreaking engineering ideas, for funding by NASENI, through our collaboration with the Presidential Implementation Committee on Technology Transfer (PiCTT).”
Speaking further on what the project is targeted at, he said DELT-Her “seeks to correct the imbalance in practice and enterprise development, by focusing attention and funding on young women, and very importantly, creating and cultivating public awareness around the need to train and mentor more women into the engineering professions.
“Moreover, what this should ideally mean is that women should make up half of all professional spaces in the country but, for now, this is far from reality. We intend to double the number of female engineers in Nigeria over the next five years. This will mean working extensively at the level of secondary education, which is where young girls make the vital decisions regarding choice of professional field.”
…The PICTT approach
Earlier in his address, Chairman, PiCTT, Dr. Mohammed Dahiru said: “The Committee, through continuous support of NASENI is determined to fund innovative and commercially viable ideas in engineering and technology-oriented proposals by women. Therefore, today’s launch of call for proposals from young women marks the beginning of a chain of events which are expected to lead to engineering start-up companies owned and run by women.”
In her key note address, President Nigerian Society of Engineers (NSE), Engr. Margaret Aina Oguntala, said DELT-HER initiative sought to address the challenges of practice by the female gender, and to unlock the full potentials of women in engineering, adding that women remain significantly underrepresented in the engineering workforce, facing barriers and challenges that hinder their full participation and advancement in the field.
Engr. Oguntala said the “DELT-Her initiative seeks to address challenges and unlock the full potential of women in engineering; through targeted interventions, mentorship programmes, leadership development initiatives and advocacy efforts.
“It aims to empower women engineers to excel in their careers, assume leadership roles and contribute meaningfully to the advancement of our profession and society as a whole. Let us work together with determination, dedication, and resolve to break down barriers, challenge stereotypes and create a future where every aspiring engineer, regardless of gender has the opportunity to thrive and succeed.”
Legislative intervention
Also speaking at the event, Chairman Senate Committee on NASENI, Senator Ezenwa Francis Onyewuchi, said engineering is multi-tasking and women can do it better than men.
“I am a big supporter of this programme going on today. We must ensure that we give credit to our women, we must ensure that we remove cultural biases and let the women take their rightful places, so, I am filling in as number one in this project,” he said.
Having oversight responsibility over NASENI, the lawmaker assured he would diligently do his oversight to make sure that women take their rightful positions in the area of science and technology.
Also at the event was the Senior Special Assistant to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu on Citizenship and Leadership, Rinsola Abiola, who wished NASENI and the PICTT committee success in implementing this initiative very actively. “I am passionate about women leadership across all sectors and engineering.. I commend the NASENI leadership because it has been a revolution since the EVC came and every single day, there is an update on NASENI,” she said.
APWEN on DELT-Her
In her intervention, Chairperson, Association of Professional Women Engineers of Nigeria, (APWEN) Abuja Chapter, Engineer, Mrs. Katume Giwa, described the DELT-Her initiative as laudable, commendable and timely.
While quoting Chuli Chi Chung as saying, ‘If they don’t give you a seat at the table, bring your folding chair, the female engineer said: “I am here to say that the EVC/CEO has graciously prepared a table for women and put golden feet around the table.
“Therefore, APWEN is here to say that you will have our full support and we are going to mobilize all of these women to take advantage of the DELT-Her Initiative.”
NASENI’s mission is to establish and nurture appropriate and dynamic science and engineering Infrastructure-base for achieving home-initiated and home-sustained industrialization.
NASENI, DELT-Her mission
This is through the development of relevant processes, capital goods and equipment necessary for job creation, national economic well-being as well as to create an enabling knowledge-driven environment for local mass production of standard parts, goods and services required for the nation’s technological advancement.
According to the report by the duo organization, that DELT-Her is an initiative that seeks to create opportunities for women in engineering, by attracting and supporting innovative engineering ideas which would ultimately be mentored and developed into startup companies. The success stories from the first phase of this initiative would be projected to enthuse school-age girls across the country, with the aim of creating a paradigm shift to favour their choice of engineering as a lifelong career. DELT-Her is inspired by global projects from the Anita Borg Institute, Girl Up! at the UN Foundation, Applied Science Technologists and Technicians of British Columbia among others.
The central objectives of this initiative are: “To address the existing gender imbalance in the study and practice of engineering and technology in Nigeria, by sponsoring the innovative ideas of young, female engineers.
“To foster a more inclusive and diverse engineering practice landscape in Nigeria.
“To build a collaborative network of stakeholders including tertiary institutions, business, and industry leaders, who would enable a more supportive environment for women in engineering.
“To inspire the next generation of female engineers in Nigeria by making female engineering success stories more visible to them.”
