British Council Going Global Partnerships grant winners Dr Renuka Thakore from the University of Central Lancashire (UCLan), Preston, United Kingdom, and Prof Yasser Gaber Dessouky from Arab Academy for Science, Technology and Maritime Transport (AASTMT), Egypt invites WOMEN LEADERS AND GLOBAL PROFESSIONALS to participate in the EmpowerHER project to share knowledge and experiences. This exchange of ideas will contribute to more effective solutions to global challenges and create opportunities for international partnerships.
EmpowerHER EGYPT
EmpowerHER: 2ND WORKSHOP AT UCLAN, UNITED KINGDOM DAY 1 SESSION 1
EmpowerHER: 2ND WORKSHOP AT UCLAN, UNITED KINGDOM DAY 1, Session 2
EmpowerHER: FOCUS GROUP DISCUSSION, 2ND WORKSHOP, UCLAN, UNITED KINGDOM DAY 1, Session 3
EMPOWERHER: 2ND WORKSHOP AT UCLAN, UNITED KINGDOM DAY 2
Partners of the Going Global Partnerships Gender Equality grant holders, Dr Renuka Thakore and Dr Andy Clarke from the University of Central Lancashire (UCLan), Preston, United Kingdom, and Prof Yasser Gaber Dessouky and Eng Raina Rageh from the Arab Academy for Science, Technology & Maritime Transport (AASTMT), Alexandria, Egypt, met in the United Kingdom to discuss gender equality focusing on training, mentoring, and skill development in digitalization, leadership, and entrepreneurship. For two days, the research workshop participants benefited from several presentations on gender mainstreaming in STEM, leveraging new technologies to empower women, creating effective career development and corporate leadership strategies, and encouraging women’s entrepreneurship.
The two-day program attracted speakers and attendees across three sessions and a focus group discussion.
Session 1: Empowering Women through Technology**
- Speakers: Dr Dulcineia Wessel, Yasmin Kandil, Khaled Hamed from Egypt; Alexander Antwi from South Africa; Tigist Mezmur from Ethiopia; Liana Badrun from Indonesia.
- Focus: The significance of empowering women through technology and how new technologies can be leveraged to empower women in STEM.
Session 2: Career Development Strategies
- Speakers: Dr Srividhya Sukumar from UAE, Tanja Bogataj from Slovenia, Esther Katiba from Kenya, Dr Usha Roopnarain from South Africa, and Agrima Singh from the UK.
- Focus: Career planning, leadership skills, and climbing the corporate ladder in STEM fields.
Session 3: Entrepreneurial Skills for STEM Professionals**
- Speakers: Bincy Baby from India, Anita Singh from the UAE, Rev. Godfrey Byamukama from Uganda, and Allison Johnson from Jamaica.
- Focus: Encouraging women to start their STEM-based businesses and discussing pathways to entrepreneurship.
Diverse participants, including those from under-represented groups, joined the workshop.
The project’s key objectives are to stimulate innovation and technological advancement in Egypt by encouraging women to pursue STEM careers, which can drive economic growth. Investing in women can lead to developing and commercialising new technologies and ideas. The project aims to develop a highly skilled workforce, attract foreign investment, and encourage the growth of the Egyptian domestic industry, which requires a well-educated and experienced workforce. The objectives also include creating a more inclusive and supportive environment for women in STEM.
The kickoff workshop occurred in February 2024 at the Arab Academy for Science, Technology & Maritime Transport in Alexandria from 18-19 February 2024. The project was announced shortly after the launch of the Arab Women in Science Platform, poised to unfold during the United Nations International Day of Women and Girls in Science on 11 February 2024. Approximately a hundred participants from diverse generations spanning natural, human, and social sciences attended. Insightful conversations addressed the challenges faced by women scientists in the Arab region, the significance of advancing women in science, technology, and innovation, and set the stage for the unveiling of the platform. The initiative is driven by Arab women scientists, shaping a brighter future in science. Dr Renuka Thakore participated in the Round Table: “Technology and Digital Transformation in Surmounting Obstacles Facing Women in Science,” moderated by Dr Amira Senbel, Dean of the College of Pharmacy at AASTMT, focusing on strategies and best practices for empowering women in the digital transformation era. A working session structured this new community, finding innovative avenues to ensure the inclusion of every woman and initiating lasting systemic transformations in the scientific realm. An exhibition of 10 successful women scientists from Egypt and Sudan, with their printed portraits and success stories, was displayed at the event venue, open to the public to discover the faces of women contributing to advancing science and sustainable development in the region.
Key recommendations included taking responsibility for personal development, showing determination for career advancement, and continuously challenging for better and fair positions individually and in the workplace. There was a significant need to organize gender awareness training for STEM education, technology, and leadership.
The research team discussed the program’s future steps following the two workshops. An online platform will be developed to offer networking, mentoring, and training programs to Egyptian women students and staff for their academic and career development. Being online, the platform will engage with national and global women empowering groups such as UNESCO and GSFN to disseminate products and services worldwide. The research team will work with other stakeholders to sustain the platform beyond the project. Training sessions and the final conference program will be announced soon. About one hundred women participants have shown interest in using the platform in Egypt and beyond.
This activity is part of the British Council’s Going Global Partnerships Gender Equality initiative, which is co-supported by the Global Sustainable Futures Network.
