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By Chinenye Anuforo
African Women on Board (AWB) tackled youth apathy head-on by hosting a launchpad for future leaders at the University of Lagos (UNILAG). Titled “Leadership as an Imperative: Redefining Participation and Inclusion,” the event attracted students eager to gain insights on leadership across various sectors and the skills needed to thrive.
A distinguished panel of industry leaders from engineering, creative industries, technology, and human resources shared their knowledge and experience. Moderated by Tolulope Adeleru-Balogun, Head of Programmes at News Central TV, the discussion focused on equipping young people with vital leadership skills and challenging the current climate of youth disengagement.
Ferdinand Adimefe, Founder and CEO of Magic Carpet Studios, highlighted the need for self-awareness. “Ask yourself why you do the things you do. We must unlearn this normative way of not questioning things and going with the flow; we have serious leadership issues that we need to question. I think we need people who are self-aware and curious.”
Jade Oyateru, Co-founder and COO of Uncover Skincare, urged students to view leadership as a means to create impact. “If you have an idea, just start! Do not wait for perfection. start on a small scale. The faster you start, the faster you fail. Pick your learnings and move on. Entrepreneurship is hard; it is a lot of hard work and determination but do not despair, learn and soak up the entire experience so that you can create your desired impact.”
Panelist Christian Obi, (The Igbo Wolf) an actor and content creator, emphasized the importance of using social media as a leadership tool. “We live in an age where copying is so easy. Somebody does something that works, and you find in two days everybody is doing the same thing. What makes you stand out? How do you set yourself apart? If you do not find out how you are different, you can’t set a leadership standard. Impactful content creation requires you understanding that putting out content is not something you should rush to do because you must consider posterity.”
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Encouraging self-belief, Ijeoma Nkiruka Onwordi, Head of Corporate Services at Tetracore Energy Group, urged students to emulate successful leaders by looking up their profiles and identifying the skills that set them apart. “There are several mentors that you can learn from and use their success stories to inspire you to greatness. Step out of your comfort zone, find mentors, networks, and societies. Find the skills that make you sellable and when you are in school, do much more than your academics.”
Chinonyerem Opara, Senior Brand Manager West Africa, Dettol, urged the students to develop themselves for leadership positions without waiting to be assigned a position of authority. ‘Leadership is not just about titles, it is about action and influence and making a positive impact, so if you are able to identify opportunities to solve issues and address people’s needs, you are already setting yourself apart and building your leadership skills.”
The Student Leader Launchpad, an initiative under AWB’s Project Yellow Card, aims to challenge the growing disengagement and apathy among students in higher education regarding seeking leadership roles and active participation in their communities. Folashade Anozie, Director of Communications at AWB, shared the organization’s commitment to shaping a brighter future for students and expanding the initiative to universities across Africa: “We are dedicated to creating sustainable pathways and opportunities for you to excel now and in the future.”
Students actively engaged the panelists with questions on a wide range of topics, including entrepreneurship, finance, workplace culture, and political participation.
AWB’s Project Yellow Card is an initiative aimed at inspiring and supporting the next generation of African leaders through three key programs: an annual scholarship for exceptional female university students, an allied scholarship for outstanding male students, and the Student Leader Launchpad program.
