The Eagles Foundation for Humanity has organised the third edition of its Elevate Her programme, aimed at preparing young women for leadership, strengthening their capacity and equipping them to create meaningful impact across different sectors.

The programme, themed “Preparing Young Women to Lead, Influence and Create Impact,” brought together selected female leaders and other participants to promote leadership development, networking, personal growth and global competitiveness.

The guest speaker, Dr. Fasilat Olajumoke Aderogba, from the Department of Geography at Kwara State University, Malete, delivered a session on financial intelligence, emphasising its importance in personal development and effective financial management.

Speaking at the event, the founder of the foundation, Barr. Titilope Anifowoshe, said the initiative was designed to go beyond grooming female students for political leadership to preparing them for success in life and across various professional fields.

Anifowoshe disclosed that the foundation received more than 300 applications from 21 tertiary institutions, from which 21 fellows were selected based on the quality of their applications.

She explained that the programme was structured to provide learning opportunities for both selected fellows and other applicants, with some activities open to a wider group of participants through physical and virtual sessions.

According to her, the foundation is also placing greater emphasis on monitoring and evaluation to measure the programme’s impact and ensure that participants acquire practical skills that would prepare them for leadership roles locally and internationally.

She stressed that young women should aspire to achieve excellence beyond politics, noting that Kwara State had the potential to produce outstanding female leaders, entrepreneurs and professionals across different sectors.

“Even though elections are approaching, Kwara should not begin and end with politics. Rather, Kwara should begin and end with productivity, capacity and development,” she said.

The founder added that sustainable development required deliberate efforts by individuals to improve themselves, build their capacity and contribute to society, rather than depending solely on government or elected officials.

Speaking with newsmen, House of Representatives Candidate for Ifelodun/Offa/Oyun Federal Constituency, Dr. Rafiu Ajakaye emphasised the importance of empathy and engaging citizens to understand their expectations instead of making assumptions about what they want. He said his political aspiration was centred on working with the people, listening to their concerns and understanding their actual needs.

According to him, effective leadership requires balancing people’s aspirations with the broader needs of society. He assured the people that he would prioritise this balance in his approach to representation and decision-making if elected.

Also speaking, a lecturer, Mr. Rasheed Akogun encouraged participants to put the lessons learnt during the programme into practice and share their knowledge with others. He described the initiative as an opportunity for participants to build meaningful relationships, expand their networks, collaborate and establish friendships that could support their personal and professional development.

He commended Anifowoshe for creating a platform that connects young women with opportunities to develop their potential and achieve their aspirations.

Akogun urged the participants to make effective use of the programme by remaining open to learning and building relationships that could contribute to a better society.

Dr. Sherif Ibrahim described women as critical to the development of society, stressing that the quality of women in a community significantly influences the quality of future generations.

He commended the foundation for creating a platform that promotes good morals, ethical values and responsible leadership among young women.

Ibrahim also advised young people, particularly young women, against becoming overly focused on social media trends and the pursuit of online popularity at the expense of personal development and meaningful achievements.

He emphasised the need for young women to develop strong values, remain focused on their goals and use opportunities such as Elevate Her 3.0 to prepare for future responsibilities.