By Adeyinka Adeniran
A non-governmental organisation, the Fashioned and Made for Excellence Foundation (The FAME Foundation) has trained over 50 head girls from select secondary school from Ibadan, the Oyo State capital city.
The organisation said the essence of the training, its maiden edition which held at the American Corner, Ibadan, was not only a celebration of International Women’s Day but also a mind-shifting mentorship initiative to educate and empower head girls with the resources and right knowledge they need to succeed as aspiring leaders in their current roles and become better leaders.
In a remarks, founder, and Executive Director, The FAME Foundation, Raphael Stephen said, the conference’s themed, “’Invest in Girls; Impact the Future,” perfectly captured the essence of the event.
“It underscored how investing in today’s young girls can harness the potential of girls to lead and become global changemakers who start from their local communities. The conference served as a strategic platform for aspiring and accomplished women leaders to connect, explore, discuss, and learn from one another.
“At FAME, we recognize everything rises and falls on leadership, and we have made an audacious commitment to developing 1,000,000 leaders in our secondary schools by 2030, and we believe that the head girl conference is a strategic part of that journey.
“Together we have equipped over 20,000 girls with leadership values and skills in over half a decade in nearly 200 secondary schools across Nigeria.”
He added that plan is underway to train newly selected headboys and prefects from across secondary schools in Ibadan to also equip with right leadership and management skills.
“This year, the Ibadan head boy conference will also be held, and over 1,000 newly selected prefects across secondary schools in Ibadan will be equipped with leadership and management skills through the FAME Lead Project which has impacted 2,074 aspiring leaders directly and 16,680 aspiring leaders indirectly.”
Also speaking, a representative of one of the partners who is the Executive Director, Partnership & Growth, Starks Associate Ore Adeyemo said, “at Starks, we recognize the importance of impactful and diverse leadership throughout Africa. Cultivating strong leadership skills at a young age is essential for creating a better Africa.
“Partnering with The FAME Foundation allows us to support and empower young girls who have already shown leadership potential as head girls. By providing them with the necessary tools, resources, and mentorship. We aim to enable them to become effective leaders within their schools and communities.”
The conference featured a lineup of speakers, each sharing their invaluable insights and experiences from their leadership journeys.
From accomplished corporate leaders to influential academic leaders, the speakers charged the attendees, inspiring them to break glass ceilings and dare to aspire to greater heights in their leadership roles.
Some of the speakers included the Principal Partner Funmi Roberts & Co., Funmi Roberts; Regional Operations Director of Airtel Nigeria, Tolu Adeniyi; Professor of Law and Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Prof. Oluyemisi Bamgbose; Director Kea Group, Kemi Irinoye and Builder Bimbo Kolade: Federal Commissioner representing Oyo State, who served as the Chairperson of the Conference.
