THE ABUJA ACCELERATOR: COHORT 1

On the 1st of May 2024, The Abuja Accelerator Cohort 1 was endorsed by UN Women at the Babatunde Osotimehin Hall, UN House, Abuja. This was the second leg of a process which began on the 19th of March 2024 at the same venue. The March event was a hybrid one, where 35 members of the Cohort, chosen on account of a rigorous proceess, converged at UN House Abuja to view the Side Event put together by the Pioneer Mandate Secretary (PMS) of the Women Affairs Secretariat (WAS), Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja - Hon. (Dr) Adedayo Benjamins-Laniyi. The number of Cohort members increased to 40 when 5 Women With Disability (WWD) were added to the list. The Side Event took place in New York on the sidelines of the Convention on the Status of Women (CSW 68) which was held between the 11th and 22nd of March 2024. It was the very first showing of the brand new WAS FCT at CSW!

What exactly is the Abuja Accelerator: Cohort 1? Put simply, it symbolises a set of females in their twenties and thirties who were selected for a ten-month intensive mentoring programme which would prepare them for their role as accelerators of the 'race' towards gender equity and eventually gender equality in Nigeria and beyond. The idea is to set up a formidable Faculty of tried and tested individuals, mostly females, who have excelled in their chosen fields...

L-R: Dr. Dayo Kusa, A member of Abuja Accelerator - Cohort 1 & Ms. Inimfon Etuk (Anchor)

Some of the participants are:

*40 members of The Abuja Accelerator - Cohort 1

*Ms. Beatrice Eyong - Country Representative, UN Women Nigeria & ECOWAS

*Hon. (Dr) Adedayo Benjamins-Laniyi - Pioneer Mandate Secretary (PMS), WAS FCT

*Amb. (Dr) Maureen Tamuno - MD, Abuja Investment Company Ltd.

*Dr. Hansatu Adegbite - ED, WimBiz

*Dr. Naomi Osemedua - Two-time Ted-X Speaker & Cohort 1 Coordinator

*HRH Queen Hauwa Kalu Adamu Ibrahim - Wife of the Paramount Ruler (Ona) of Abaji, a.k.a. Queen of Abuja

*Ms. Tokunbo Chiedu - ED, Compact Global Business Services

*Dr. Jumoke Oduwole - Special Adviser to the President on PEBEC

*Edidiong Idang - Social Development Specialist, ASR Africa & Founder, Initiative for Peace & Women's Rights in Africa

*Dr. Dayo Kusa - Consultant on Women, Peace & Security to PMS, WAS FCT

*Ada Amadi - Company Secretary, Abuja Investment Company Ltd

*Rotimi Olawale - Consultant

*Ms. Inimfon Etuk - Anchor

Most of the mentees listed above rendered motivational speeches at the event. An MoU was signed betweem WAS FCT and UN Women. Huray, The Abuja Accelerator: Cohort 1 was born. I'm convinced that in another one year, we will have well groomed members of the Cohort who have acquired skills beyond our imagination and ready to take up the task of 'accelerating the race towards geder equality...'

Dr. Dayo Oluyemi-Kusa speaking @ the podium - Babatude Osotimehin Hall (UN House), Abuja