The National Agency for Science and Engineering Infrastructure (NASENI) and the Presidential Implementation Committee on Technology Transfer have launched an initiative to create more opportunities for women in engineering.
Tagged “Developing Engineering Leaders Through Her” (DELT-Her), and with the theme: ‘Promoting Female Participation In Nigeria’s Engineering Profession,’ the initiative, according to the organisers, ‘seeks to attract and support innovative engineering ideas which would ultimately be mentored and developed into startup companies.’
Speaking at the event held at NASENI headquarters in Abuja, the Chairman of the Presidential Implementation Committee on Technology Transfer, Dr Muhammed Dahiru, said his Committee threw its weight behind the DELT-Her project because of the need to encourage more female participation in the Nigerian engineering space.
He said, “Recent statistics reveal that we are below the world average on account of female participation in the engineering sector, and we feel there is a need to encourage females in Nigeria to not only see engineering as a career for men.”
Dr Dahiru revealed that the Presidential Committee on Technology Transfer has been working to bring in products and services that meet the criteria to the market to help Nigeria grow. He added that in the last two years, the Committee in partnership with the Technology Agency of The Czech Republic, sponsored various technology transfer programmes.
The Executive Vice Chairman and CEO of NASENI, Khalil Halilu, said DELT-Her is an opportunity platform to address the gender gap in the Nigerian engineering sector. According to him, the objective is to close the gender gap in the engineering sector in Nigeria.
He stressed that only 1 in 20 Nigerian engineers is a woman, adding that it is this gender imbalance the initiative seeks to correct by focusing on funding young women and creating awareness around mentoring more women into the engineering profession.
According to the NASENI boss, through DELT-Her, the agency intends to double the number of female engineers in Nigeria over the next five years.
“Through this initiative, young girls and women can pitch and present their exciting and groundbreaking engineering ideas for funding by NASENI through the Presidential Implementation Committee on Technology Transfer, Halilu said.
Halilu added that DELT-Her aims to ‘inspire the next generation, provide financial support for new ideas and projects and ultimately strengthen the engineering ecosystem.”
The highlight was the unveiling of the DELT-Her online portal, which will open to prospective participants from 9 March 2024 to register to pitch and present their engineering ideas for funding by NASENI.
Other dignitaries at the event include the President of the Nigerian Society of Engineers, Engr. Margaret Oguntala and the representative of the Minister of Science Technology and Innovation, among others.
