As part of activities commemorating International Women’s Day 2018, Uber recently hosted a crop of Nigeria’s leading ladies at a themed event tagged: #UberBelieveinHer.

The event highlighted the Uber female West Africa team, and also featured attendees drawn from a pool of female entrepreneurs, career women, public service officials, and social entrepreneurs.

It started off with a panel discussion featuring Lola Kassim; General Manager, Francesca Uriri; Head Communications, Margaret Banasko; Country Marketing Lead and Jackie Omotalade; Head Policy, all female members of the Uber West Africa team.

Tagged: #WomenofUber: Telling our own stories, the session focused on what it means to be a working woman, how women can continually #pressforprogress, and the impact companies like Uber have on local communities in creating opportunities for growth and innovation, particularly for women.

Attendees at the event connected deeply with the session as evidenced by their engaging and thoughtful questions afterwards.

The session was immediately followed by a Keynote address, given by women empowerment, sustainability and social impact expert, Osayi Alile, CEO; ACT Foundation.

With over 20 years experience in the SME, international development and leadership sectors, Osayi is a catalyst for change and has revolutionized the non-profit sector in Nigeria and beyond.

During her session tagged: “Disrupting for Sustainable Change” she encouraged women to not be afraid to take chances or make big bold bets. She also shared her experience as a working woman and enjoined all the female attendees present to continually #pressforprogress by using their skill sets and talents to bring real and lasting change to the society and world at large.

“Uber is committed to building a culture where everyone feels included and can bring their whole selves to work,” says Francesca Uriri, Head Communications; West Africa, Uber.

“The core objective of this event was to show our esteemed riders, driver-partners and stakeholders that Uber believes in, and supports women. In addition to the company’s ongoing internal Diversity and Inclusion initiatives, we are committed to upskilling and building a critical mass of women who are economically empowered and equipped with what they need to lead successful lives."

Uber recently hosted a selection of female driver-partners, professionals and entrepreneurs to an event in Lagos called Uber For Her; the event showcased the myriad of opportunities available for women within the Uber ecosystem.