95 quotes found
"My Nigeria is giant of Africa by Nigeria is the first to produce female human mechanic in Africa."
"My Nigeria is where you can find a lot of women doing male-dominated professions. My Nigeria women are strong women."
"The constraints, the obstacles, the challenges they could have driven me back they became my opportunities. The future looks bright."
"Our clients keeps coming back because they prefer us because we are determined to be better than a lot of mechanics who take their jobs and salaries for granted."
"Before you know it, we have an army of strong and powerful women that can stand and compete anywhere in the world."
"Information is out there but local communities don’t have access to it, and they will rely on the next alternative."
"Over the years, people have gotten inappropriate medical advice from some practitioners, especially at the local council level and of course the consequence was disastrous to their health."
"I incorporated it in 2016, and it has grown beyond my wildest dreams."
"Government’s focus mainly on research findings from institutes is not encouraging to the young ones who have fresh and modern ideas that can help fast tract socio-economic development."
"Also, available seminars and conferences are expensive and not flexible, so to address this problem, I designed O’track to enable health workers to easily choose courses online."
"CNBC All Africa Businesswoman of the Year (2012)"
"Africa's Most Powerful Women In Technology (2013)"
"There is so much opportunity, there is so much need here that we need to transform our society, when you look around us. No one is going to do it for us and we also have to get our government on board with us to meet the aspirations of Nigerians because that’s what democracy is all about."
"“I came back from the US and the Internet had been exploding over there, but in Nigeria there was no Internet and no infrastructure. So we decided to put the pieces together and make this happen."Funke speaking on her vision to bridge the Digital divide in west africa"
"“If we’re going to transform our society, our society needs to be developed. It’s a youth population, it’s education, access to information, it’s the ability to innovate. It’s giving young people access that is going to bring about the full benefits of this.”Speaking on her vision and the importance of internet connectivity for the African youths"
"Every entrepreneur has to raise capital. If your business is going to grow, you have to raise capital. You have to be smart about raising capital, you have to be determined about raising capital."
"For anything you are trying to do, there are a thousand other people trying to do the same thing. Even if it costs a billion dollars."
"So if you are growing a business you have to be very deliberate and you have to do your homework on who exactly has the capacity to buy, how much money do you need, where should you prioritise your efforts."
"...Now, of course, there are opportunities here, because we haven’t fully developed our society, that are not available elsewhere as well. So, it’s a risk-reward type of situation."
"While the developed world was fully connected, here in Nigeria the average young person didn’t know what the internet was."
"We can’t leave an entire generation of young people without proper access to the internet."
"“It’s not really that you are innovating new technologies, but you’re innovating processes. You’re innovating deployment methodologies. You’re being very resourceful in terms of how you get things done to deploy what is already known and established practice in other markets.”Funke speaking in an interview with Harvard business school"
"A connected Nigeria is a more economically prosperous Nigeria."
"When you look at the original vision and the potential and where we are, you will know that there is so much to do. If I get complacent I may have to step aside so that the vision can move forward.Funke speaking on the need to stay motivated"
"“I don’t know that I am unique in that regard. It is all the things we learn: hard work, integrity and focus, but it is really about value creation. Each individual has to think about how they can utilize the opportunity and the assets they have to generate value and if you create value, you will be successful in business. That is what I strongly believe.Funke on the secret of her success"
"Through MainOne, my goals and ambitions have become more focused on improving Internet access for the citizens of West Africa in order to drive economic growth and human development.Funke speaking on her aspirations for starting MainOne"
"I believe mentorship programs for girls will provide the exposure, encouragement to acquire the foundational skills, and networks required for higher education and future career opportunities in technology.Funke on encouraging young Africans girls to pursue careers in tech"
"The major challenges holding women back from success in this region are the lack of access to educational and professional opportunities and an inadequate number of female role models in the tech industry. However, African women are maximizing the opportunities that improved access to education and technology careers offer. Our representation in the industry is not far behind what you find in more advanced economies.Funke discussing the challenges facing African women in TECH"
"We can promote more female empowerment in startups by creating a larger pool of women in tech, giving women in tech more visibility, and addressing challenges around gender bias with regards to funding.Funke speaking on the increased participation of women in the TECH space in Africa"
"Do not be afraid to take bold steps and ask for help. The most successful people did not make it on their own. You need to find mentors and advisors along the way: experienced, wiser people who know a lot and can help you fulfill your aspirations.Funke's leadership advice to African women and girls in TECH"
"Raising money is the most difficult thing I ever did as an entrepreneur"
"Engineering is a prestigious career with diverse routes and global opportunities that encourages individuality, creativity, ingenuity and collaboration."
"As professionals in engineering, we are all role models who can inspire others to join the profession by being engaging living examples, and by creating inclusive and equal opportunities for all."
"Developing a new method, improving an existing engineering method, mastering a new software, technique, opportunities to travel for work, and successfully managing a project from concept design to construction also excite me about my job."
"I understood that there are several challenges and barriers women face working in a predominantly male-dominated industry like engineering, but I did not understand how an award addresses the problem but since winning the award, I am convinced that these awards play a part in helping to attract and retain more young women in the profession by promoting the achievements of female role models across the industry.Ozak after winning the IET award"
"I think mentorship and encouraging more participation in STEM is very important for the continuity and benefit of the industry."
"Knowing that the work you do contributes to the betterment of society is an added privilege worth experiencing."
"“Go for it! Stem subjects provide so many career disciplines to choose from, so I recommend attending careers fairs, seeking work experience opportunities and engaging with people within the industry to get a feel for what’s involved.”"
"Purpose is an ongoing thing… You don’t wake up one day knowing all that you’re supposed to be about. It reveals itself through action, the process of trying things."
"Digital engineering sits right at the heart of this progress and the big change is now we have the ability to build a project twice."
"With great times and also challenging times, I have come to really appreciate the beauty of engineering. The creativity, the daring to dream, and the art of storytelling conceptual ideas; achieving an exact expression of sequence, relation, and logic is what creates the built environment and technologies that shape and influence our daily experiences."
"People you work with always require you to demonstrate your expertise in whatever you do, so I am constantly working to ensure that I am able to demonstrate competence, and bring something new and creative to the table."
"Engineering in a work environment is all about finding correct solutions to real life problems/challenges."
"I enjoy carrying out relevant research as well as speaking to lots of people. This always helps to improve my knowledge."
"The biggest difference I’ve noticed is that work is very practical. Engineering in a work environment is all about finding correct solutions to real life problems/challenges. University is mainly about gaining the theoretical know-how to then be applied in industry (work)."
"Engineering is about finding solutions that improve people’s lives and there is a great need for the superb, interactive, unique and creative contribution we all have to offer."
"With creativity, amazing Engineering is possible. Learning the principles of engineering is a great way to equip oneself with the ability to design/build some pretty cool things."
"The fact that engineering solutions are so visible is a great reason for young people to consider careers in the profession."
"By concentrating on the opportunities to develop creative solutions for our world, you can ease the sense of being overwhelmed."
"It’s essential to be part of organizations and programs that foster and support growth. Actively seeking out opportunities to learn and acquire valuable skills is crucial."
"Teaching in Further Education can be a powerful way to share your skills and experience to help shape the future workforce and ensure a strong pipeline of talent entering the field."
"Female industry professionals have a profound impact when they share their skills and experiences."
"Be curious enough to explore and understand engineering solutions from different parts of the world. By embracing these opportunities, you can make a significant impact on the engineering industry and inspire future generations to follow in your footsteps."
"At this point, I realised it was not enough just to inspire people. It was essential for me, as best as I could, to share the tools and the mechanisms for women to grab opportunities to thrive in engineering."
"We must keep believing in the changes we want to see, and we must stay true to ourselves and the progress we’re seeking."
"I believe in huge possibilities and I’ve discovered that there is no lack of possibilities and opportunities out there."
"There will be times when people don’t have confidence in you, but the worst thing is to not have confidence in yourself."
"Where there isn’t that much oil, you can see solar panel farms popping up, wind turbine farms, and there’s that accelerated renewable response because of a lack of a natural resource."
"If I’m receiving this amount in grants, it’s because somebody believes in me—somebody thinks that I have a role to play in ensuring that engineering can become the tool for that economic development in my country."
"We need our allies, and sometimes it gets tiring, so it’s a balance. We have to take care of ourselves and step back and know that actually we’re doing it on our own terms."
"Integrity pays!!! It may take a very long time to achieve but it truly pays."
"Every win, every success, every contribution to ensuring that the platforms for women and women opportunities increase is breaking the stereotype! It is only male-dominated because not enough females have been given the opportunity, not because females are less qualified."
"It’s hard to be a girl in STEM. We need to stand out as role models, to show it’s possible to be a female engineer and have a family."
"Our aim is to empower youths and prepare them for a fulfilling and rewarding career ahead."
"To add value to the Nigerian economy through the ‘catch-them-young’ strategy of reaching out to the grassroots for promising students who can drive Nigeria into a position of dominance in science, technology, engineering and mathematics by year 2020 and beyond."
"So as we engage, we pick from the issues and challenges we are faced with and we try and translate it to the jobs for the future."
"The issues and challenges we see in oil and gas and energy and infrastructure industry inform our themes."
"People believe it is only non-brilliant individuals that go to technical colleges. So, we need to re-orientate the public to embrace technical education."
"For the country to attain sustainable growth status, the Nigerian engineers need to be adequately engaged in planning, policy formulation, consultancy and construction, as well as industrial process of production and manufacturing."
"No man like God."
"Digitising African languages will help make information more accessible to Africans."
"Contribute to the momentum needed to work towards making voice technologies accessible to all Africans."
"Yes, I got my Ph.D. in aerospace at UT Arlington in 2015. But before that, I was there for undergraduate and got my undergraduate degree in 2010."
"There’s no question. And what the Honors College did for me, was it positioned me to have a solid foundation in my course work and my academics, particularly the first few classes that I took that were Honors classes, really helped me – I would say, that they definitely helped me transition to the aerospace engineering program versus coming fresh out of high school and Nigeria because the classes were intimate and provided an opportunity for me to learn with other high-achieving students."
"So, when I got to grad school, it was a little different. My involvement with the Honors College was morphed. I was not really an Honors student which is more focused on undergrads."
"It was a lot of responsibility for sure. But it came with a lot of growth as well. Growth and independence of some sort."
"I was that person that would ask companies – hey, can your company help with this or that?"
"Now, generally, you do have the expectations you set for yourself. To what extent does imposter syndrome manifests with you and it varies for different people. How I handle it is I try to be super, overly diligent with everything, I have to know everything. I have to start from scratch; I have to understand it. And it’s very imperative; it’s important for me that my achievements are attributed to my capabilities and not simply because I am a Woman of Color in this field. It has to be my technical expertise that has brought me here or taken me there."
"I didn’t have negative experiences. But again, you stand out, and it’s just how you stand out that matters. But you will stand out regardless when you’re in the minority: when you’re female, when you’re black, or when you’re young."
"The reason I started to share, the reason I created my professional Instagram and Twitter pages, is because I’ve heard a million and one times, that my story’s not just for me. People have told me multiple times – Wendy, it’s not about you, it’s bigger than you."
"Everybody just wants to know, what’s your story, how did you get to NASA? How did a 26-year-old black girl get a Ph.D. in something like aerospace engineering and get to work at NASA?"
"I can’t even imagine how I would have struggled during the first year transitioning to being an aerospace engineering freshman at UT Arlington, but again arduous is relative."
"But instead, I basically kind of took a pay cut for higher learning. But with that pay cut and all of these fellowships, I was able to keep my head above water and focus on learning. Focus on my Ph.D. program."
"I prayed for it, and I certainly wanted it. Like any goal, you give it your all, even though there’s never a guarantee of the outcome."
"Engineering wasn’t an obvious path for me at first; it was something I discovered along the way."
"My family, especially my father, played a huge role in building my confidence."
"It is important for the country to focus on sustainability, which includes renewable energy that gives a sustainable source of power supply."
"If we can harness God given natural resources such as water, wind, steam turbines, fossil fuel, biomass, geothermal and solar energy source, among others, the cost of production of energy in the country would drop drastically."
"Talking about biogas, I think Nigeria is behind, because presently in Indian, they have so perfected it that one can buy plastic biogas generators at home and cook with it, power the house."
"Q:: Education in Nigeria today is fast dropping in standards. How else can we harness the potential of the skilled child in Nigeria today? A: We can organize programs to discover them as the Project Skill Competition organized here today. Our sole aim should be on how to encourage these children to discover their environment and proffer solution."
"Q: How is the Nigerian technical sector working to enact laws to prioritize the education of the underprivileged children? A: Teachers are encouraged to put in their best. These would ultimately provide a cheaper and qualitative education. Notwithstanding, we would look into ways to ensure that children who are very bright but underprivileged go to school."
"Today, the issue of food insecurity worldwide is at a critical stage. All of us cannot deny that it is a tragedy of today that one billion people go to bed hungry everyday with a no better tomorrow."
"That is to say that every day, about 60 million Nigerians go to bed hungry, this should challenge us as well as touch us deeply."
"Nigeria must increase food production through the development of relevant machinery and equipment to process and produce more food."
"Food insecurity is a major concern to majority of the developing world."