Encomium
Akwa Ibom born Elisha Attai, CEO of Studio 115 Integrated Services, an international media consulting firm and founder of African Women in Leadership Organisation (AWLO), believes Africa’s hope for advancement can only be achieved when its women are embraced as partners in progress.
AWLO is a non-governmental organization with membership open to all women leaders across Africa.
Hence, he has since 2009, devoted his life to positioning African women, through his annual AWLO conference, whose 2010 edition hosted in Nigeria planted the seed for Women for Change Initiative. This year’s edition slated for later this month in Atlanta, USA, is holding in partnership with American female parliamentarians.
The 4-day leadership and empowerment programme which is open to all African women across the continent and in the Diaspora, will include a welcome cocktail, networking sessions, the main conference sessions and a day of beauty, style and wellness tips.
In this chat with ENCOMIUM Weekly’s PATRICK OKON, Attai opened up on the journey so far, and why the 2014 edition will be very unique.
A conference for women leaders is way out of the man’s portfolio, why are you running a campaign for women leadership in Africa, considering the age-old adage that the woman’s place is in the kitchen?
Years back, I used to consult for the Ghana High Commission in Lagos, and we had issues in 2008, when some Ghanaians started feeling bad about Nigerian businesses killing theirs in Ghana. Though we tried to cover up the protest by managing the publicity, some young Ghanaians started maiming Nigerians in Ghana.
We began to look for solutions and I suggested the need to bring together women parliamentarians from Nigeria and Ghana on one platform to collectively work for ways of restoring peace between the warring and aggrieved parties. That conference held in 2009, in Accra and at the end, that crisis was stemmed. It then dawned on me that there was need for more platforms for women to come together to move Africa forward because I have always had so much belief in the ability of women. Saddening though, over the years, the womenfolk have not really had sustainable platform for mentoring.
But the sojourn took you pass the shores of Nigeria and Ghana?
Women from Guinea heard about the conference and approached us, positing and advising that the conference be made a West-African affair. That was how we started West-African Women in Leadership Organisation in 2010. That conference was held in Abuja and chaired by the First Lady, Dame Patience Jonathan.
It was a very successful gathering of women leaders from the ECOWAS sub-region. And some participants from the United Nations also came as observers. It was after the conference that they approached us and recommended that we make the conference African, instead of a West-African affair. Thus from 2011, African Women in Leadership Conference (AWLC), got started and that signified that we were destined to go global. Now, we are taking AWLC to the USA.
At what point this you change gear since the focus was on Africa; and why the United States of America?
We had always known that we would be going universal. In 2011, Senator Donzella James, who happens to be our host for this year’s edition in Atlanta, started indicating some deep interest in what we were doing. She then suggested a partnership and the partnership was packaged in such a way that it would also mutually benefit African women leaders who are resident in America and desire such platforms for interacting with other women leaders from Africa in their quest to canvass the way forward for the continent.
That partnership triggered the Council of Female Senators volunteering to host us in Atlanta and that is why AWLC 2014 is taken there.
When you look down five going to six years back when the idea was hatched, what stride would you say the annual conference has made, and what impact has it so far had on women of Africa?
Charity, they say begins at home. So, I will start with Nigeria. Before AWLC came into being in 2010, we had very few women in leadership positions. It was our 2010 conference that gave birth to the Women for Change Initiative that you now hear of, whose agenda is to have more women in decision-making positions. That was the work of my coordinator, Chidimma, and the First Lady, Dame Patience Jonathan.
In the past five going to six years, women have gradually come to understand that this is not an entirely man’s world. In 2011, Ghana’s parliament was filled with women and in fact, they had a female Speaker. The impact of this conference has been enormous in all the countries whose women have been part of it. Today, I am proud to hold my head high up because I have seen AWLO grown from strength to strength and I am seeing more women come out of their shells. I believe women have so much to offer.
Tell us about this year’s edition and the things that will stand it out.
AWLO is holding the 6th Annual African Women in Leadership Conference in Atlanta, Georgia, USA, between August 20 and 23, at the Crowne Plaza Atlanta, Perimeter in Ravinia Hotel. The conference opening ceremony will begin by 9:00 p.m. and those invited to participate in exchange of ideas, approach on programmes, communicate ways to impact the world, and empower women to fulfil their destiny, are guests who have accepted the challenges, faced the adversaries, overcame opposition, and embraced the journey. On the guest list are the first ladies of Mozambique, Senegal, Cameroun, Nigeria, Ghana, South Africa, Gambia, Togo, Equatorial Guinea, Benin Republic and America’s First Lady, Michelle Obama.
And you can see that these are women group who are ready to take part in a global movement beyond their spheres.
The theme for this year’s conference is African Women – Harnessing Our Strength, Growing In All Spheres. It will be the “Conference of a lifetime”. There will be guest speakers from all over the world with Almas Jiwani, President of UN Women, NC , Canada as our keynote speaker, and Senator Donzella James alongside Representative Dee Dawkins-Haigler (Chair-woman of the Georgia Legislative Black Caucus) co-hosting.
Representative “Able” Mable Thomas (Member of the Georgia House of Representatives), our own Hon. Abike Dabiri-Erewa, (Member of the House of Representatives), Zamantungwa Khumalo (co-founder and co-chair, Africa Unleashed), Eveline Pierre (Founder, Executive Director of the First Haitian Heritage Museum and best selling author), Mrs. Biola Adesola (MD/CEO, Standard Chartered Bank), Comfort Ocran, Chief (Dr.) Opral Benson, and Josephine Anunobi (educationist) will also play vital roles.
There will be a fashion show, live performances from internationally-renowned artistes like Belinda Brady, Gina, Jemirire and Mish, aside a gala/awards night to honour certain personalities who have conquered their fears and taken part in the process of change. Last but not the least, there will be an inauguration for the United States chapter of AWLO.
The other spectacular aspect is that the high level of international interest in women leadership on economics, political, legal, and social impact, amply suggests that participants will be opportuned to network, self-develop, dialogue, empower and unite.
Let me quickly add here that the recipients of this year’s awards are Her Excellency, Mrs. Maria Da Luz Dai Guebuza (First Lady of Mozambique), Chief (Dr.) Opral Benson, Senator Donzella James. There is also a very special award from women leaders across the continent to Chief (Dr.) Godswill Akpabio, Governor of Akwa Ibom State, who emerged the most gender-friendly African leader for 2013/14. Interestingly, having gone above the 35 percent affirmative action, Akwa Ibom State has taken the lead in the number of women occupying political office whether elected or appointive.
After all said and done, what benefits will accrue to the typical African woman as a result of this partnership with the US female parliamentarians?
Before getting to where we all are today, there is no gainsaying that the American women had seen more difficult times. They had equally gone through what the African women are passing through right now and they came out victorious. The question now is, how did they get there? How where those hurdles jumped over? This brings us to the whole essence of this year’s conference, which is to find answers to those questions. The AWLC and the state senate of Atlanta, Georgia, is bringing African women achievers together, to rub minds, share ideas, learn and take critical steps forward in relation to personal, social and community development.
Michelle Obama, wife of the US President will be the special guest of honour and by leading the women to come together to hone vital leadership competencies and achieve new levels of confidence and success, African women will continue to act, grow and lead in the 21st century.
Apart from the ones mentioned above, we are going to have a lot of sessions and speakers from Africa, America, and other countries, including the Caribbean. It is a good platform that will definitely transform the continent.
I almost forgot to tell you about another very unique feature of this year’s outing. We will be introducing what we call the Youth Session for young people aspiring to be like these successful women. We also believe women can play a huge role in achieving peace in the continent. So, the conference is making peace-building in Africa one of its major focus this time around.
