The Nigerian Bar Association Women Forum (NBAWF) is pleased to announce that Jumoke Oduwole, Special Adviser to the President on the Ease of Doing Business in Nigeria, is the keynote speaker for its 3rd Annual General Conference and International Women’s Day event.

The event will take place on March 30 – 31, 2023, at Sapphire Hall, A Class Park & Event Center, Maitama, Abuja, Nigeria, and will feature a keynote address by Jumoke Oduwole, panel discussions, and other activities aimed at promoting gender equality and women’s empowerment.

The International Women’s Day celebration aims to celebrate the achievements of women while also highlighting the ongoing struggle for gender equity. This year, the focus is on the role of technology in advancing gender equity. The theme “Tech Her In – Innovating for Gender Equity” seeks to showcase the various ways in which technology can be used to address gender disparities, promote women’s rights, and empower women.

Jumoke Oduwole is a jurist, academic and policy advisor. Until her appointment as Special Adviser to the President in August 2019, Oduwole was Senior Special Assistant to the President on Industry, Trade & Investment (OVP) from November 2015 to May 2019 where she worked to form the Nigerian Office for Trade Negotiations (NOTN).

She also served on the Technical Working Group of the Presidential Committee for the Impact and Readiness Assessment of the African Continental Free Trade Agreement (AfCFTA) (Sub-Committee on Ease of Doing Business) and is currently represented on Nigeria’s AfCFTA Implementation National Action Committee (NAC).

Oduwole is the Executive Secretary to the Presidential Enabling Business Environment Council chaired by Vice President Yemi Osinbajo. She coordinates the activities of its secretariat where policies and business reformations that would make Nigeria a progressively easier place to do business are developed and implemented.

The event will also feature a fireside chat between Chinyere Okorocha, Chairperson, of the Nigerian Bar Association Women Forum and Shola Sholeye of Channels Television.

Other notable dignitaries at the event include Yakubu Chonoko Maikyau SAN, President of the Nigerian Bar Association and Barr. Chioma Uzodimma – First Lady, Imo State.

According to Dr Foluke Dada, Chairperson, Central Planning Committee the Annual General Conference and International Women’s Day event is one of the great things the forum has accomplished since its re-inauguration three years ago. “We are aligning with the United Nations in celebrating International Women’s Day. The theme for the IWD this year is centred around tech and innovation. We at the NBA Women’s Forum have decided to up the game in embracing technology and innovation as a means to promote our careers. This is what the NBAWomen Forum was formed for – encouraging female lawyers to achieve success.”

“The event will feature great speakers, experts and eminent personalities who will speak to tech and speak to equity. It is going to be an empowering session.

Speaking about the theme of the event, Chinyere Okorocha, Chairperson of the NBA Women Forum noted that “Nigeria is one of the countries that does not rank very highly in the equity radar and there is so much we can do with technology, in terms of leveraging it to achieve equity. If one looks at the statistics on gender equity in Nigeria, it is obvious that we are a long way from achieving equity. These are issues we need to tackle.”

Dr Foluke Dada is the Dean, College of Law, Caleb University and Emeritus 2nd Vice-chair, Nigerian Bar Association.

Chinyere Okorocha is a Partner at Jackson, Etti and Edu and Head of the Health and Pharmaceutical Sector of the firm.

The NBA Women Forum is an arm of the Nigerian Bar Association that promotes the advancement of women in the legal profession and advocates for gender equality and women’s rights in Nigeria and beyond. NBA Women Forum is committed to creating a more inclusive legal profession and society that values and promotes the participation and leadership of women.

To register for the conference, visit – www.nbawomenforum.org.ng.

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