Pictures and highlights from the Prosper Summit on Saturday, October 15th held by LagosMums in collaboration with MotherHonestly, at The Civic Center in Victoria Island, Lagos. The event was the largest career and family-oriented event in Nigeria, with over 700+ in-person attendees and virtual attendees viewing from Nigeria, the United Kingdom, the United States, Italy, and the Netherlands.
The headline sponsors at the Prosper Summit were Standard Chartered Bank, Bournvita, Maggi, and Weststar Associates (Mercedes Benz).
The speakers this year included, Adebola Williams, Chairman AW Network; Dr. Maymunah Yusuf Kadiri, the Head of Pinnacle Health, Author and TV Producer, Arese Ugwu, The Smart Money Woman, Adenike Oyetunde-Lawal, Author/Disability, and Inclusion Advocate; Ife Durosinmi-Etti, Chief Executive Officer, Herconomy; Adeola Kingsley-James, Life-giver, and Kingmaker; Hamisha Daryani Ahuja, Film Producer, Director, Entrepreneur, and Motivational Speaker and other leaders in the Human Resource, Corporate and Public Sector. The Compere for the Summit was, Tomilayo Aluko
The event kicked off with Yoga and Meditation where scores of early birds were taken through relaxing and soul-lifting routines amid stations of juice bars, serving organic blends to refresh the participants.
Furthermore, during the Keynote session, Yetty Williams, Founder and CEO of LagosMums, and Blessing Adesiyan, Founder and CEO of Mother Honestly, discussed how crucial work-life balance and caregiving conversations are to thrive and prosper, as individuals and families.
In Yetty’s words, ‘Most of us will agree that the pandemic has taught us that we cannot truly separate roles and responsibilities, into neat categories of work or life. While there’s a lot to figure out, we know that together, we can win! It is our hope that through sharing our realities, networking, and seeking solutions together we will see that we are not alone.
According to Blessing, ‘The world as we know it is swiftly shifting ideologies and agelong routines. As a mother of four and a business leader attempting to work and live in Nigeria, I know firsthand the limitations that exist, not just for us but for our loved ones. We are the only ones that can speak our truths and effectively address them.
The keynote conversations segued into a series of plenaries bordering on how participants can prosper in various aspects of their lives. Crucial subjects such as Mental and Physical Health, Finance, Work, Policy, Parenthood, and Global Representation were facilitated by sector experts.
Prosper at Home Panel
The very first panel – Prosper At Home featured Adebola Williams, Chairman AW Network, Segun Adeniyi, Chief Digital Officer at Wema Bank Plc, Adaorie Udechukwu, Gender Advisor, IFC, and Excel Adeyemi Samuel, Co-Founder of Wallmark Counseling and the moderator was Adeola Kingsley-James.
Here are some highlights from the panel discussion;
‘When women are empowered, they invest better in building the next generation. They are focused on their family, and they are focused on the community. Empathy is the foundation for kindness and humility and that helps a home to prosper “. Adebola Williams.
“Thriving in the family is about the alignment of both spouses. Research shows that in Nigeria 89% of men, think that caregiving responsibilities are primarily a woman’s job. This goes to show that a mindset shift needs to be achieved.”. Adaorie Udechukwu.
“Equity is the height of being prosperous in the home. Part of influencing positively is taking an extra step”. Oluwasegun Adeniyi
“Collaboration is an effective tool to thrive in the home.” Excel Adeyemi
Prosper at Work
The second Panel – Prosper At Work featured Dayo Aderugbo, Head, Corporate Affairs, Brand and Marketing, Nigeria and West Africa. Standard Chartered Bank, Ifeanyi Orabuche, Category Lead, Golden Morn, Mary Aderinola Ojulari, MD (Mercedes-Benz), President, EuroCham Nigeria and Blessing Adesiyan, Founder of Mother Honestly and the moderator Bolanle Ibitola, MD and CEO of Crayon Development.
Below are some highlights from the conversation of the panel;
‘To be able to prosper at work as a woman, you need to have prospered at home first.” Dayo Aderugbo
“Work-life balance is first achieved when we determine, what works for us as individuals and families because this changes as we evolve per season.” Mary Aderinola-Ojulari
“Employers need to take a look at some of our policies and see if they are equitable. We need to check our assumptions by appraising these policies with our employees” Blessing Adesiyan
“Promoting policies that support Work-life balance as employers is not in the building, but in the culture of the organisation”. Ifeanyi Orabuche
Prosper Well
The third panel – Prosper Well with Dr. Maymunah Yusuf Kadiri, Head of Pinnacle Health, Joycee Awosika, Founder Oriki Group, Yetty Williams, Founder of LagosMums and Bunmi George, Founder Shredder Gang and the moderator Yeside Olayinka-Agbola, Founder Olori Coitus
You can catch up on the discussion of the panel, with the highlights below;
“Self-care is not a luxury, but a necessity. If you don’t prioritize self-care, you can not give your best to yourself or anybody else.”Self-care isn’t selfish.” Yetty Williams
“Understanding your stress factor will help you better take care of your mental and physical health.” Dr. Maymunah Kadiri
“Make a decision to factor in yourself in your routine and your schedule. Something as simple as changing your environment could help you approach things differently”. Joycee Awosika
“Your health, diet, nutrition, and your fitness are important to your mental health”. Bunmi George
“Your sexual health is a very important part of your mental health”. Yeside Olayinka-Agboola
Prosper Financially
The speakers for our fourth Panel Session themed Prosper Financially are Ifedayo Durosinmi-Etti, Founder and CEO, Herconomy, Arese “Smart Money” Ugwu, Author of Smart Money Woman, and Halima Rabiu, Enterprise Manager and moderator Tosin Olaseinde, Founder and CEO Money Africa and Ladda NG.
We will share below some excerpts from the panelists;
“Be kind to yourself”. Tosin Olaseinde
“Respect the season you are in. Live Boldly.” Arese Ugwu
The panel discussed the financial impact of caregiving and the burden it places on modern families. The panel focused on how families can prosper in the midst of the current economic realities while providing for their families and creating generational wealth.
Prosper Policy
The fifth-panel session – Prosper Policy featured Nankling Danfulani, Trade Adviser, Technology, Education and Creative Lead, Nigerian Department for International Trade, British Deputy High Commission; and Abiola Seriki-Ayeni, DG, Office of Education Quality Assurance and the moderator Fona Williams, Manager Global Diagnostics Team at Clinton Health Access Initiative.
This panel brought together key policy stakeholders to discuss the family agenda ahead of the 2023 elections. It’s time our society works for us, our children, our work, and our values.
Prosper Together/Globally
Moderating the sixth and final panel session – Prosper together/globally was Dinma Nwobi, Founder, Happify Humanity Project featuring Hamisha Daryani Ahuja, Film Producer, Tayo Opatayo, HR Expert, Leadership Coach, and Adaora Mbelu, Founder, Lumination Global Network.
Following all the conversations of the day, this panel focused on how we can truly prosper in all areas of our lives. Each speaker shared based on their area of expertise how to thrive in areas such as personal branding, re-skilling, and preparing for the future of jobs, the creative/knowledge industry, and how to happify your life.
Breakout Session
Furthermore, we had Breakout Sessions which featured- Bukie “The Kitchen Muse” Akinmade, Chef and Food Entrepreneur where she spoke about “The Building Blocks for Creating Healthy Family Recipes and Meals; Dr Chinaza “Ariella Health and Fitness” Amadi, Medical Doctor, Lifestyle Medicine Physician where she spoke about “Navigating Nutrition and Fitness As A Busy Working Parent; Oreoluwa Somolu Lesi, Founder Women Tech Empowerment Center where she spoke about “Positioning Yourself For A Success As A Woman in STEM In Nigeria; Tewa Onasanya, Mindset Stylist, Author, Founder Exquisite magazine and Eloy Awards Foundation where she spoke about “How to Rule Your Mind in order to Live the Life You Desire”; Oluwatoyin Onigbanjo, Founder August Secrets where she spoke about “Steps to Creating A Nutritious Meal Plan For Your Child”.
Additional Highlights from the summit were a dance performance by the dance group, Dream Catchers Academy, and a spoken word rendition by Karimot Odebode, Poet and Project Lead, Black Girl’s Dream Initiative.
Sponsors
We couldn’t have done it without our sponsors Standard Chartered, Mercedes Benz, Bournvita, and Maggi.
Our exhibitors were August Secrets, GreenSprings, Krispy Kreme, 7 up, One Wellness, Whole Purple, Mouton Cadet, Stem Mets, Ziya, and Viltreats.
Our Sponsoring employers were Crayon Development, Access Bank, BUA Group, EcoBank, FSDH, FCMB, EKEDC, WEMA Bank, IKEDC, Elizade Autoland, Jumia, Golden Morn, and 10 & Square.
The creche was sponsored by The Baby Lounge.
The event was covered by SilverBird TV, BenTV, Olorisupaergal, and photography by FotoLight House. Media partners Guardian, BellaNaija, That Good Media, Lost in Lagos, Exquisite Magazine, Pride Magazine, and The Will Downtown.
Our Speaker gifts were sponsored by House of Tara.
The event was planned by DWS Event Planners.
Thank you all for attending!
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