Tuesday, October 11 is the International Day of the Girlchild. This year, the theme celebrating the international day of the girl child is: “Our Time Is Now – Our Rights, Our Future”. According to the United Nations, there has been increased attention on issues that matter to girls amongst governments, policymakers, and the general public, and more opportunities for girls to have their voices heard on the global stage.
Moving away from the global stage to the Nigerian energy context, policy development as well as action steps towards fighting for a better Nigeria, young women have taken up the mantle to be important voices in promoting ideals to help in Nigeria’s energy transition.
Some of these young women have defied norms and difficulties getting things done in local communities through their work in sustainability, climate change education, policy development, and the spread of the circular economy in Nigeria.
Some of these young women are profiled below:
Adejoke Lasisi – She’s the founder of Planet 3R. Planet 3R is a social enterprise dedicated to converting textile and plastic wastes into eco-friendly products using the 3R (Reduce, Reuse, Recycle) to save our planet Earth by weaving them into innovative items. Through Jokelinks Weaving School, Adejoke is also saving the planet using her weaving skills by converting textile and plastic waste into innovative products. Adejoke emerged as the National MSME of the year 2020 for using her weaving skill to save the planet by converting Plastic and Textile wastes into Eco-friendly products.
Jennifer Uchendu – Jennifer Uchendu is the founder of SustyVibes. SustyVibes is a social enterprise that engages millennials with sustainability issues in Africa, through an interactive online and social media platform. SustyVibes is creating awareness of issues that matter and motivating more youth to actively implement sustainable development goals through offline projects and events. SustyVibes is the largest youth-driven sustainability initiative in Nigeria. Jennifer is a visionary leader and eco-feminist. Jennifer is skilled in the concept of analysis and data interpretation and she believes in the power of women.
Lauritta Boniface – Lauritta is the co-founder of Ecocykle Limited, a youth-led social enterprise that provides waste management services and environmental education. Lauritta is an environmentalist and a climate change advocate who is actively working on climate action and affordable and clean energy goals of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). She is passionate about providing a sustainable solution to the problem of waste and climate change adaptation/mitigation in Nigeria, through training, advocacy, and best environmental practices. She was also part of the CSO coalition that pushes the “Know Your Climate Change Act” campaign. The campaign is aimed at educating the Nigerian public about what they need to about the Climate Change Act.
Adenike Oladosu – Adenike is the founder of I Lead Climate Action Initiative, a youth-led movement raising awareness about climate change-induced problems in conflict zones and African societies for disarmament. She is an eco-feminist, agricultural economist, extensionist, and climate change expert. Adenike is passionate about encouraging youth involvement in climate action through climate education and raising awareness of the importance of women’s environmental rights.
Hajara Kabeer – Hajara is an advocate of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) for Nigerian girls. Her #GiveGirlsRoleModels movement is aimed at normalizing female role models in STEM. Hajara Kabeer is a Petroleum and Gas Engineer, who is passionate about building capacity in energy, environmental sustainability, and a low-carbon future. Her aim is to become a Future Energy Leader and acquire skills in the use of energy and econometric models to access the long-term implications of energy and environmental policy decisions on different sectors of the economy. Hajara is a global STEM advocate who is helping to counter the narrative of Northern Nigerian females being the most educationally disenfranchised.
