The Women in Successful Careers (WISCAR) has announced that its 2025 Annual Leadership and Mentoring Conference will take place on Saturday, 29 November 2025, at The Civic Centre in Lagos.
This year’s edition, themed “Claiming Our Future: Women in Leadership and Policy Transformation,” will convene professional women, policymakers, and private sector leaders to examine how women are reshaping governance, business, and national development in Nigeria.
A keynote address will be delivered by Professor Folasade Tolulope Ogunsola, OON, Vice-Chancellor of the University of Lagos. As UNILAG’s first female Vice-Chancellor, Professor Ogunsola embodies the growing influence of women in education, institutional governance, and policy transformation.
A key feature of the 2025 conference is the graduation of the inaugural class of the Women in Law Mentoring Programme (WILMP). The initiative aims to develop a strong pipeline of female leaders in Nigeria’s legal, governance, and policy sectors. Through structured mentorship, leadership training, and professional networking, the programme has equipped participants with the skills and confidence needed to excel and break barriers.
Recent data underscores the urgency of strengthening women’s leadership. According to the 2025 PWR Advisory NGX-30 Board Gender Diversity Scorecard, women now hold 31.1% of board seats across Nigeria’s 30 largest listed companies—98 of 315 seats—the highest level of female representation since the scorecard was introduced. For the first time, none of the NGX-30 companies has an all-male board.
Yet, national statistics reveal persistent gaps. A World Bank gender study reports that women occupy only 20–27% of senior leadership roles across Nigerian corporations. Findings from the UN Women Nigeria Country Office (2022) show that women represent just 3.6% of the National Assembly and 16.2% of ministerial positions, highlighting a significant underrepresentation in governance.
Speaking at a press briefing ahead of the conference, Amina Oyagbola, WISCAR Founder and Chairperson, stressed the need for measurable action on gender inclusion. “Current figures reveal the persistence of deep structural inequities. That is why women are uniting - through WISCAR, WILAN, WIMBIZ, and the Nigeria Governors’ Spouses Forum - as part of a Women in Leadership Coalition to advance a unified agenda: achieving 35% women on boards and in executive management of listed companies, 35% female representation in federal and state cabinets, and advocating for 16 weeks paid maternity leave and 14 days paternity leave.
At WISCAR, we believe women’s inclusion is not optional; it is essential. Claiming Our Future is a call to action for every woman to take her rightful place in leadership, governance, and policymaking. When women lead, societies thrive, and nations prosper.”
WISCAR’s mentoring programmes have supported thousands of professional women over the years. Sharing her experience, Omolola Oloye of KPMG said “My WISCAR mentoring journey began at last year’s conference. Being paired with mentors like Oyeyimika Adeboye, CEO of Cadbury Nigeria, and Boma A. Alabi SAN, OON, taught me that time management and strategic networking are key to professional growth. The experience has made me more confident, motivated, and better equipped to navigate my career.”
This year’s conference will feature an impressive lineup of speakers, including:
• Dr Jumoke Oduwole, Honourable Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment
• Dr Kemi DaSilva-Ibru, Founder, WARIF
• Dr Tayo Aduloju, CEO, Nigerian Economic Summit Group
• Abubakar Suleiman, CEO, Sterling Bank Plc
• Hajia Imaan Sulaiman-Ibrahim, Honourable Minister of Women Affairs
• Mr Charles Usie, Country Director, Plan International Nigeria
• Hauwa Haliru-Hassan, CEO, Nigeria Governors’ Spouses Forum Secretariat
• Abosede George-Ogan, Executive Director, WILAN
• Funke Amobi, Deputy Head of Operations, Stanbic IBTC Bank Plc
• Odunayo Sanya, Executive Director, MTN Nigeria Foundation
In the run-up to the conference, WISCAR will host its Annual Mentoring Walk on Saturday, 15 November 2025—an event designed to strengthen mentor-mentee relationships through shared learning and networking.
The 2025 conference is supported by leading partners, with FirstBank of Nigeria as the lead sponsor. Other partners include Sterling Bank, MTN Foundation, FCMB, Union Bank, Leadway Assurance, Zenith Bank, Stanbic IBTC, FSDH, Maersk, Dangote Foundation, and APM Terminals, all backing WISCAR’s mission to promote gender inclusion, leadership development, and sustainable nation-building.
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