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the next generation of
Women in Engineering
the next generation of
Women in Engineering
SAWomEng@network is hosting its 3rd annual cocktail networking function and engineering expo in July. Any and all stakeholders in the engineering industry are invited to enjoy appetizers ... more
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RegisterIn November 2010, I had the great privilege of being selected as a fellow of the African Leadership Network. The network held its inaugural gathering in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. The venue was apt, as it is the birthplace and venue of the African Union. So what did 200 young influential leaders chat about? What else but creating African prosperity.
People from business, government, entertainment and the NGO sector were all present.
Africa is continent rich in mineral resources, but extreme poverty, political instability and lack of infrastructure has hampered development. With all these challenges, young people across Africa have shown the resilience of the African spirit. Young people across Africa have found ways to become more innovative and use basic technology to empower their lives. A simple cellphone has revolutionised the way people do business in Africa. No more is it a mere communication too. It has become a powerful business tool, banking facility, a way to seek medical advice, and in North Africa, a way to organise and mobilise the youth and speak up against governments not serving their people. For me, what is more exciting is being an engineer in Africa. At the gathering, I met many industry representatives who require engineers across Africa for various processes and infrastructure and having to import these skills. In order for us to harness the opportunities across the African continent, we as young engineers need to step up and be counted as agents of change in our own back yards, and that is what SAWomEng is truly about.
I am especially excited about the SAWomEng 2011 technical project "Building sustainable communities through green buildings" and I invite agents of change out there to participate on our online blogging forum on our website. Let us learn from the example of the North African youth and in this instance instead of standing up to governments, let us make a stand for creating a prosperous developed Africa, with its natural environment and picturesque wilderness still in tact.
Africa is continent rich in mineral resources, but extreme poverty, political instability and lack of infrastructure has hampered development. With all these challenges, young people across Africa have shown the resilience of the African spirit. Young people across Africa have found ways to become more innovative and use basic technology to empower their lives. A simple cellphone has revolutionised the way people do business in Africa. No more is it a mere communication too. It has become a powerful business tool, banking facility, a way to seek medical advice, and in North Africa, a way to organise and mobilise the youth and speak up against governments not serving their people. For me, what is more exciting is being an engineer in Africa. At the gathering, I met many industry representatives who require engineers across Africa for various processes and infrastructure and having to import these skills. In order for us to harness the opportunities across the African continent, we as young engineers need to step up and be counted as agents of change in our own back yards, and that is what SAWomEng is truly about.
I am especially excited about the SAWomEng 2011 technical project "Building sustainable communities through green buildings" and I invite agents of change out there to participate on our online blogging forum on our website. Let us learn from the example of the North African youth and in this instance instead of standing up to governments, let us make a stand for creating a prosperous developed Africa, with its natural environment and picturesque wilderness still in tact.
2011