WOMEN’S HISTORY MONTH
February 27 - March 2 | Lagos
Kristina Wong’s Visits Lagos
The U.S. Consulate Lagos hosted
a renowned visiting American
performance artist and comedian,
Kristina Wong, from February 27 to
March 4 as part of the Lagos Theatre
Festival. She is notable for her works
focusing on women and economic
empowerment.
Wong conducted masterclasses for
performing arts students, faculty, and
theatrical directors at the University of
Lagos, Lufodo Academy of Performing
Arts, and Pencil and Film Television
Institute (PEFTI) Film Institute.
During her visit, she also performed
her critically acclaimed Wong Street
Journal show on March 2, which was
hosted by United States Consul General,
F. John Bray at Terra Kulture Arts and
Cultural Centre, Lagos.
Kristina Wong performing at Terra Kulture in Lagos
March 18-23 | Lagos, Abuja
Silicon Valley Women Tech
Leaders Inspire Women & Girls in
STEM Fields
The U.S. Mission Nigeria hosted
a 16-member delegation of senior
women technology executives and
professionals from Silicon Valley,
California who visited Lagos and Abuja
from March 18-23 to mentor young
women and girls to spark their interest
in Science, Technology, Engineering,
and Mathematics (STEM) fi elds. Nigeria
and Egypt were selected this year to be
part of the visiting country.
The delegations are part of the
TechWomen program-an initiative
of the U.S. Department of State’s
Bureau of Educational and Cultural
Affairs, with support from the Institute
of International Education, which
empowers, connects and supports
women leaders from Africa, Central
and South Asia, and the Middle
East in STEM through mentorship
and exchange. They represented
organizations as diverse as Twitter,
LinkedIn, Netfl ix, Mozilla, Autodesk,
WomenCollegeTech, Stanford
Graduate School of Business, Juniper
Networks, as well as Fairrer Samani
Group, Northgate Environmental
Management, Jessica Dickinson
Goodman Consulting.
The U.S. Consulate Lagos hosted a
series of events, the fi rst of which
was held at Lonadek Inc.- a world
class and certifi ed engineering and
information technology consulting
company focused on delivering value
through STEM related activities. U.S.
Consul General F. John Bray, speaking
at the event, called for the inclusive
participation of women in STEM to
engage local talents for economic
growth and sustainability in the
country.
On the 22nd of March, the Embassy
in Abuja in collaboration with Baze
University hosted fi fty secondary
school girls in a series of interactive
sessions. The girls were exposed
to activities such as loom coding,
motherboard design, and basic website
development and how these tools could
contribute to economic development
while having a social impact. As part
of the events, Techwomen Impact
Day was hosted by Civic Innovation
Lab and dubbed Leading the Change:
Women in STEM Making Impact
The TechWomen delegation being received at the
Co-Creation Hub (CcHub), Lagos
March 20 | U.S. Embassy, Abuja
Northern Nigerian Senator
Speaks to Women on Education
as a Springboard
EducationUSA Abuja organized
a discussion with more than 90
young women and Senator Binta
Masi Garba of northern Adamawa
state, one of only six women in
Nigeria’s 109-member senate.
Senator Garba encouraged the
university students and recent
graduates to aspire to positions of
infl uence and create space for women
in fi elds dominated by men. The
activity formed part of the Mission’s
Women’s History Month programming
and opened participants’ eyes to the
Importance of a fi rm educational
foundation and the need for barrier-
breaking women leaders.
Senator Binta Masi Garba speaks to the largely
female audience
where 100 participants inclusive of
Techwomen alumni, the Techwomen
delegation, Nigerian private sector, civil
society, university, and government
representatives discussed pragmatic
applications of new technologies.
At a reception in his residence,
Ambassador Stuart Symington
encouraged 80 women who work
in fi elds such as renewable energy,
space technology, solar, and ICT to
take challenges to use their skills in
technology to solve social problems and
contribute to economic growth. The
visit inspired the STEM leaders of today
and tomorrow through an exchange of
experiences, challenges, and successes
in a fi eld where Nigerian women are
severely underrepresented.
Contributed by Chibuike Ohieri, Grace Lamon and Shade Adebayo
CROSSROADS | May/June 2018
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