The Association of Professional Women Engineers of Nigeria (APWEN) called on women engineers to design innovative equipment that tackles the country’s waste management challenges and supports the waste-to-wealth initiative.
The Founder and Chief Executive Officer of MitiMeth, Achenyo Idachaba-Obaro made the call during the seventh Olutunmbi Maduka Annual Lecture (OMAL) and the 85th birthday celebration of Joanna Maduka in Lagos on Monday.
Idachaba-Obaro urged women engineers to lead in manufacturing machinery, biomaterial processing, production optimisation, renewable energy integration, and scalable systems.
She spoke under the theme “Waste to Wealth Revolution: Women Leading Africa’s Sustainable Enterprises.”
She noted that women-led enterprises across Africa turn waste into valuable community businesses through circular design, craftsmanship, and environmental care.
However, she pointed out that craft-based operations often suffer from low output, quality issues, and limited global reach without technological improvements.
The CEO, who produces interior décor items from water hyacinth, banana fibre, coconut shells, and bamboo, stressed that future African enterprises must combine artificial intelligence, engineering, material science, and digital tools for long-term success.
She also called for mentorship programmes to support students with innovative community solutions.
APWEN President Chinyere Igwegbe highlighted Joanna Maduka’s role in building the association, which now has over 8,000 professional members and thousands of students.
She praised women for converting agricultural waste, plastics, and other refuse into economic opportunities, such as bioplastics and building materials.Mrs Igwegbe said APWEN remains dedicated to equipping members with skills for green manufacturing and sustainable enterprises.
The Nigerian Society of Engineers, represented by Deputy President Valerie Agberagba, commended APWEN for the annual lecture series, which shapes ideas and influences policy for national development.
Joanna Maduka thanked guests for attending despite bad weather and called for stronger mentorship and more engineers to solve Nigeria’s challenges.
