On Thursday, 20th June 2024, the LearnHub Institute hosted the third edition of its annual WWR Conference with the theme : “Women, Wealth, and Real Estate: Promoting Women’s Inclusion for Africa’s Collective Prosperity”.
The hybrid Conference which had in attendance over 150 physical participants and 160 virtual participants was sponsored by NMRC, PwC, Abbey Mortgage Bank, Modern Shelter Systems & Services Limited, Cutstruct Technology Limited, Wemabod Limited.
With well over 17 female C-Level Speakers, many have adjudged the conference as successfully bring the issues surrounding wealth parity to mainstream. The Co-Founder and Managing Director of Alitheia Capital, Mrs. Jumoke Akinwunmi, who is also the Chairman of the WWR Advisory Council, set the tone for the impactful discussions that followed by encouraging all women, in her Welcome Speech to accept the WWR Community, as a safe space where women actively encourage women to break barriers together.
The Keynote speaker, Mrs. Olatowun Candide-Johnson, Founder & CEO, GAIA Africa Club, opened the event with her speech which set a brilliant tone for the conference- “Unleashing the Power of Diversity: Fostering a Culture of Gender Inclusiveness for Africa’s Collective Prosperity.”
Her Speech focused on the importance of gender inclusiveness and women’s empowerment in Africa. She highlighted the historical role of African women in commerce and the adverse effects of colonialism, which marginalized women in the economic sphere. Despite challenges, African women have shown resilience.
She emphasized the need for policies like the National Women’s Economic Empowerment (WEE) Policy to address systemic barriers, enhance financial literacy, and promote property ownership for women. Implementing gender quotas, enforcing equal pay, and fostering a culture of inclusiveness through education and support for women-led businesses are crucial.
She described the future envisioned to be one where women drive economic growth, lead in politics and technology, and are recognized as powerful agents of change. She concluded by maintaining that the achievement of financial independence, particularly through real estate investment, is a means for women to attain parity and inclusiveness.
Other speakers at the Conference included Tosin Ajose (F.IMC, CMC, M.IOD), Lead Advisor, DealHQ Partners and Co-Founder LearnHub Institute who spoke on “Knowledge to Action: Preserving Wealth Through Generations” emphasizing the critical need for wealth parity and highlighting that women control only 32% of global wealth despite significant growth.
She addressed the substantial gender gap in economic participation, political empowerment, real estate ownership and advocated for a self-determined approach where women embrace financial literacy, strategic investments, and collaborative efforts to drive change.
She further suggested key strategies for asset optimization and wealth preservation such as diversification, portfolio management, and tax optimization. She also underscored the importance of estate planning to ensure smooth wealth transfer, asset protection, and minimizing tax liabilities.
Next is Chinwe Ajene-Sagna, Managing Partner, Catalyst Realty Solutions who spoke on “Redefining Wealth Parity and Inclusion: Mentoring a Ready
