The Nigerian Economics Students Association (NESA) of the Department of Economics, Obafemi Awolowo University Ile Ife, successfully concluded its 20th edition of the Leadership Qualities and Entrepreneurial Development (LQED) seminar on February 3, 2024. The seminar marked the culmination of a 6-week programme designed to empower OAU students with skills acquisition.
The successful organisation of the conference was credited to the leadership of the committee chairman, Owoniya Damilare; his deputy, Adaiwo Doreen, as well as other dedicated team members, under the presidency of Kazeem Waris Abiodun.
The 20th LQED seminar brought together a diverse audience including students, educators and industry professionals. The seminar educated students with essential skills and personal development insights crucial to integrating classroom knowledge into a preparation for becoming future-ready graduates. The seminar proved to be a transformative event for students, offering a wealth of knowledge and experience. With a lineup of distinguished speakers delivering outstanding keynotes, the conference left attendees enlightened and motivated to embark on their leadership journey.
Renowned leaders and entrepreneurs took the stage, delivering powerful and insightful keynote speeches. Fortune Tariah, Human Resource at IHS Tower; David Samuel, money market trader at Stanbic IBTC Global Markets, as well as a knowledge packed and experienced panelists and many more shared their wealth of experience and expertise, providing invaluable lessons on leadership, innovation, and the challenges of what to expect as a future ready graduate.
The programme commenced with a welcome address by Dr. David Olayungbo, representing the department. Fortune Tariah, Human Resource professional at IHS Tower who shared strategic insights on optimizing LinkedIn, emphasizing the importance of setting up a professional profile and researching companies or professionals and emphasized the importance of resilience and adaptability, steps to building a good profile on LinkedIn, interview requirements, optimizing networking skills, initiating connections and the importance of confidence.
David Samuel shared practical tips on stressing the significance of collaborative leadership and the importance of necessary skills that would stand one out, drawing from personal anecdotes and industry experiences.
The Nigeria Institute Management (NIM) took the opportunity to present prospects within the management profession through its students’ scheme programme. Students were educated on how to stand out to a recruiter and manage their businesses.
Furthermore, another fantastic highlight of the seminar was the panel session where the topic “Building a Future-Ready Graduate: Seamlessly Integrating Classroom Knowledge, Skill Acquisition, and Personal Development.” was discussed.
Distinguished panel members included David Samuel, money market trader at Stanbic IBTC Group; Dr Adebayo Adedokun; senior lecturer at the Department of Economics, OAU Ile Ife; Oluwasogo Ogundowole; senior data engineer at Plura, and Abass Akinremi, President of the Great Ife Student Union. The session was moderated by Ojaoba Eniola and Faith Omodara.
The session delved into the synergy among classroom knowledge, skill acquisition and personal development, offering valuable advice to students and sharing their experiences in preparing for the future.
The Great Ife Student Union used the occasion to announce the launch of a scholarship initiative designed to assist students by covering their second-semester school fees, with the goal of reducing dropout rates, preventing potential increase in crime rates, and minimizing the growth of unskilled labour in the future.
Chams Mobile demonstrated corporate support by generously providing internship slots to attendees, encouraging active participation and integration into the corporate world.
The vice president appreciated the students, lecturers, professionals from the industry, institutions that attended the seminar and the impact they gave students during the programme. He also appreciated the LQED team and the NESA OAU executives for organizing this impactful programme.
The 20th edition of the LQED seminar showcased NESA’s commitment to shaping well-rounded, future-ready graduates. The engaging sessions and insights from industry experts left a lasting impact on participants, solidifying the success of this milestone event.
