Ex-Liberian President, Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, to headline 2018 WISCAR Conference

The immediate past president of Liberia, first female elected Head of State in Africa, Nobel Peace Prize Laureate and  one of the only five  Mo Ibrahim Prize Winners, Ellen Johnson Sirleaf will deliver the keynote speech at Women in Successful Careers (WISCAR) 2018 Annual Leadership and Mentoring Conference themed: “Enriching Lives by Telling Our Own Stories” on November 24 at The MUSON Center, Onikan, Lagos.

Speaking about the conference, founder of WISCAR, Mrs. Amina Oyagbola, an experienced corporate executive and business mentor, stated: “This year, we have carefully selected a theme that builds on our core focus of mentorship. The mentor is a storyteller, one who draws on her own life experiences as tools and signposts to provide guidance on what to do, what to avoid doing, and ways to do it successfully. We have invited President Johnson to share her wealth of experience in governance, mentorship, empowerment and nation building.

ALSO READ: APC never promised to transform Nigeria in 4yrs ― Fashola

“In many parts of West Africa, the “griot” is an oral historian, a repository of oral traditions and communal achievements. President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf’s role as keynote speaker is to be the “Griot” of our political advancement.

“’We expect the conference to spur change in women and for women to improve the level of participation and contribution of 50 per cent of our population to the extent required for our nation to become a first world country. We expect the stories our mentees hear to enrich them enough for them to become change makers for their families, their communities and the nation at large. The positive changes we sow will surely be reaped in a brighter, more peaceful and more progressive future for Nigeria and Africa at large,”she said.

WISCAR’s Executive Secretary, Fabia Ogunmekan, added :“Recommendations from the conference will be published in a communiqué to drive the required legal, cultural, and policy changes for growth and national development”

The WISCAR Leadership and  Mentoring Conference will feature a range of additional speakers and panelists  including  Ambassador Nozipho January Bardill – International Diplomat,  Corporate Relations specialist and Chair, Nelson Mandela University Council; Ms. HadizaBala-Usman – Public Administrator & Managing Director of Nigerian Ports Authority; Mrs. Polly Alakija – Artist, Author and Chair, Lagos State Council of Arts and Culture; Mrs KofoAkinkugbe – Chief Executive Officer of award-winning Secure ID Group; Mrs Aisha Ahmad, Deputy Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria; Mr. Tunji Lardner, Writer, TED Fellow & Governance Consultant; Mrs Amina Oyagbola, WISCAR Founder, Corporate Executive and Business Mentors; and many others.

“We will also be present to give the audience front-row insights into the challenges and solutions of leadership and developing women to build a better nation. Innovative Nigerian playwright and creative director of the award winning play, HEARWORD! Ifeoma Fafunwa will also present thought-provoking interludes in the course of the programme. The event will be compered by a notable organisational effectiveness consultant and social justice activist, Habiba Balogun,” the organisers said.