This was the summary of comments in the aftermath of the maiden UpYou Women Conference 2023 at the elegant Ebony Life Place, Victoria Island, Lagos and in an international simulcast on social platforms.

The conference was held with the resonant theme “Building Bridges from Within.” The full-day conference momentous event delivered an array of captivating presentations including the keynote speaker Julia Oku (“Bridges and Breaches”), Bimbo Oloyede (“Media Capability as a Tool for Building Bridges from Within – Perspectives for the 21st Century Woman”), Fadekemi Olumide-Aluko (“Learning & Unlearning Yourself – an Educator’s Perspective”), Dr Irene Olumese (“Building Bridges of Inclusivity”) amongst others.

The microfinance advocate, Mrs Isoken Nwabunka spoke on “Building Bridges for Life: From Grit to Grace, Ms Sola Ismail advised delegates on “Building Financial bridges”.

A distinguished 4-women panel tackled vital subjects; such as building bridges after adversity (Unyime-Ivy King), the pivotal role of listening in bridge-building (Ebele Chukwujama), the necessity for every woman to be a bridge (Vinitha Nimmyel), and finally, the art of building bridges from silence (Titiola Vivour Adeniyi).

Delegates at the conference embarked on a transformative journey to network, learn, unlearn, and relearn principles essential for constructing bridges that connect or reconnect them for growth in the future.

The hybrid conference welcomed participation from delegates from Cameroon, Ghana, and Rep of Benin, while virtual attendees joined in from the United Kingdom, the United States, Canada, South Africa, and Bahrain.

Ezinne Kufre-Ekanem, the convener of the conference and presenter of the radio show UpYou with Ezinne says the conference theme: “Building Bridges from Within” holds profound significance. It represents the inherent power within each of us to establish connections, break down barriers, and foster lasting change. It underscores the importance of dismantling walls and constructing bridges that unite us across gender, age, race, and socioeconomic divides. These bridges symbolize support, understanding, and collaboration – the structures that propel women toward success and a brighter collective future.