Group vows to develop women capacity

National President of the group, Angela Ajala, speaking at the group’s Candle Lighting Ceremony in Abuja on Friday, said BPW gives platform for capacity building among women.
“We develop the professional and leadership potentials of women in all levels through advocacy, networking, mentoring, skill building, economic empowerment programs and projects around the world,” she said.
She added that is the greatest gift you can give any woman is to enable her build the capacity of other women too.
She said the group is the largest organized network of women in business in the world in over 90 countries and in 15 states in Nigeria.
 Ajala also said that as women and members of BPW, they are contributing to the development of the society, saying, “If your presence is not felt, your absence is meaningless.”
A member of the Young BPW, Rasheeda Aliyu, said she was motivated to join the group when she read their vision and mission statement and discovered that she could gain a lot from them.
“As at the time I joined BPW, I was not working but through the training I received I was able to package my curriculum vitae very well and market myself. My confidence was built and I was invited for an interview in an NGO with about 10 others. One of the panelists looked at my CV and said “this is good” and that was how I got the job – with good packaging though my area of discipline is engineering,” said Aliyu.
The regional coordinator BPW Africa Adenike Osadolor said “it is in remembrance of those who worked all their lives to pave way for us, especially the founder BPW Dr Leonard Philips, Obafunmilayo Manuel who brought BPW to Nigeria in 1961 and other women across the world.
“The symbolism of candle is very strong; it lights up and dispels darkness. As we light the 105 candles and the international one, which is done across the world, it is our desires that all the dark places of the world will be lighted. It is to remember women who in their adversity, of war and disaster, empowered other women and gave them hope to continue. As we light the candles, the light ignites words of love and bonds of sisterhood so that we will be able to fulfill the vision of the BPW,” she said.  
Over 30 new members were inducted into the body.