BY CHIKA OKEKE, Abuja
In a bid to address electricity shortfall, the Association of Professional Women Engineers of Nigeria, APWEN, has called on the Federal Government to embrace sustainable energy solutions.
President of APWEN, Chinyere Igwegbe stated this at its 2026 International Conference, Exhibition and Annual General Meeting on Tuesday in Abuja, with the theme: "Designing Adaptive Systems: Engineering Energy, Building Net-Zero, Delivering Tomorrow’s Infrastructure."
Making a case for innovative approaches to infrastructure development across the country, Igwegbe harped on the need for stronger collaboration among the stakeholders.
She noted that the theme is timely as climate change, energy transition, rapid urbanisation and emerging technologies continue to reshape engineering practice and influence infrastructure planning across Nigeria and Africa.
The President argued that the current infrastructure should not only serve present needs but also respond effectively to changing demands, climate-related shocks and future challenges facing communities and cities in Nigeria nationwide.
She said: "Adaptive systems are, at their core, systems built for resilience, systems that are able to respond to shocks, to changing demand, and to a changing climate.
"As we pursue net-zero, we are not merely reducing emissions; we are reimagining how energy is generated, how cities are built, and how communities thrive.
“Nigeria, and indeed Africa, cannot be a spectator in this transition. We must be the designers but engineers must take leadership roles in shaping the transition."
The APWEN president said that no single institution or profession could deliver future infrastructure alone, encouraging the stakeholders to break institutional silos and work together effectively.
Igwegbe sought greater support for women engineers, adding that women continued demonstrating excellence across engineering disciplines, including energy, structural design, water, transportation and digital infrastructure and related workplaces.
She enjoined the government agencies, corporate organisations, development partners and professionals to support programmes, sponsor training and create pathways for women to assume leadership positions across the engineering profession and industry nationwide.
“When you support a woman engineer, you do not support one person; you strengthen an entire profession and uplift a whole community,” she said.
Igwegbe requested for increased investment in young engineers, collegiate members and girls participating in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics ,STEM, outreach programmes across the country to strengthen future engineering leadership.
Former Minister of Aviation, Dr Babatunde Omotoba noted that adaptive systems were systems capable of automatically changing their behaviour in response to changes in their environment nationwide.
Omotoba informed that energy engineering involved producing, transmitting, conserving and using energy efficiently and cleanly, including through renewable sources such as solar, wind and hydro, supporting infrastructure today and tomorrow for development.
He explained that net-zero involved reducing greenhouse gas emissions to near zero, with remaining emissions balanced by their removal through natural or other means, supporting Nigeria’s energy transition and future widely.
Omotoba hinted that delivering tomorrow’s infrastructure meant developing infrastructure capable of adapting to changing environmental and societal conditions, while meeting needs and supporting sustainable development and strengthening resilience and prosperity widely.
He informed that engineers would need to work across traditional professional boundaries, with knowledge of digital technology, renewable energy, environmental management, data and automation becoming increasingly important in modern engineering practice.
To this end, he advocated stronger collaboration among universities, research institutions, professional organisations, the government and private sector to move Nigerian research and engineering ideas into practical applications and strengthen innovation and technology transfer.
Omotoba said that the future of engineering in Nigeria should include the full participation of women, pleading with the stakeholders to encourage more girls to pursue engineering throughout Nigeria.
He enjoined engineers to build useful and reliable infrastructure that is capable of adapting to change, while using energy resources wisely, embracing technologies, investing in research and creating opportunities for development.
Omoba was optimistic that such opportunities should particularly target young engineers and women, who must be supported to contribute meaningfully to Nigeria’s engineering future and national development efforts across the country and society.
The President of the Nigerian Society of Engineers ,NSE, Engr. Ali Rabiu praised APWEN for sustaining the conference as a platform for professional interaction, knowledge-sharing and knowledge exchange nationwide.
He noted that the platform encouraged strategic reflection on engineering’s role in national development, while promoting professional engagement among engineers and other stakeholders seeking practical solutions to emerging challenges and cooperation.
Rabiu, who was represented by the 8th President of APWEN, Dr Patricia Opene-Odili, enjoined women engineers to continuously strengthen mentorship and leadership development for engineers across Nigeria and within institutions and professional bodies nationwide.
He challenged engineers to look beyond current circumstances and deliberately design for Nigeria’s future, while anticipating emerging environmental, technological and societal demands through sustained support and innovation.
Rabiu harped on the importance of women engineers in shaping the country’s future across areas including energy, digital technology and environmental engineering, among other critical sectors for sustainable development and progress.
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