The Lagos State government has called for more collaboration, support and inclusion of women in the field of surveying due to their vital role in sustainable development and technological innovation.
Commissioner for Women Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, Mrs Cecilia Dada, made the call at the Women-in-Surveying biennial Congress themed Revolutionizing Surveying: Empowering Sustainable Development through Remote Collaboration and Community Engagement,” held at Magodo.
The Commissioner represented by the Director, Women Affairs, Mrs Olufunke Shyllon in her keynote address, praised the Women-In-Surveying network for their consistent efforts in empowering women, promoting innovation, and fostering inclusive community engagement through the profession.
“I commend the leadership and members of this unique body of professionals for their steadfast commitment to redefining the landscape of surveying in Nigeria, particularly through the empowerment of women and meaningful community involvement,” she said.
Mrs Dada emphasized the critical role that women surveyors play in addressing major development challenges, such as land administration, climate adaptation, housing, and urban planning, especially in the context of a rapidly digitalizing global economy.
“Women in surveying are not just charting landscapes; they are charting new destinies for young girls and women in STEM careers across Lagos and beyond,” she stated.
She also reiterated her ministry’s willingness to collaborate with professional bodies to create more opportunities for women, particularly those in rural areas. According to her, this can be achieved through skills training, mentorship, and access to the tools needed to thrive in the geospatial sector.
“We are keen to partner with bodies like yours to expand economic opportunities, enhance innovation, and advance societal progress,” she added.
The Guest Speaker, Professor Esther Makinde from the Department of Surveying and Geomatics technology, University of Lagos, called for increased nurturing and mentorship of the younger generation from secondary schools to choose a career in the profession for advancement of innovations.
“I challenged Women-in-Surveying to brace up and engage the younger students very well on the gains of the profession so that they will pick up interest because mentorship is not easy and you need to take the bull by the horns.”
Earlier in an address of welcome the outgoing coordinator, WIS Lagos, Mrs. Olajumoke Joseph issued a compelling call to action, urging women in surveying profession to embrace innovation, strengthen strategic partnerships, and deepen community involvement in order to revolutionize the field.
“Let us harness technology, strengthen partnerships, and engage communities meaningfully. “By doing so, we can transform how surveying is practiced and perceived across the country,” Olajumoke stated.
On her part, the new Coordinator, Mrs Susan Ogunjobi, promised to leverage on the success of innovations by her predecessor in shaping the future of women in surveying.
“I will leverage on the gains of the immediate past executive as I was the Vice Coordinator during the tenure and I know God will help me to achieve the feat. I also appealed to the Lagos State government to reduce all the exuberance to get into schools for career talks to students as the creation of Education Districts has made it difficult to get to schools as permissions are delayed but we remain partners in progress in innovation and technologies”
The Biennial Congress which brought together stakeholders’ in the geospatial industry, featured the investiture of the network new leadership and professional engaged students from different public schools in career talks while awards were given to those who have been supportive of the network.
Reporting by Yemisi Dada