Jane Egerton-Idehen, a Tech Executive, Author, and Speaker, has launched the ‘Be Fearless’ Campaign, a national initiative aiming to promote gender equality, increase female representation in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) careers, and offer guidance and support to professional women. The campaign is focused on highlighting the obstacles that hinder women from realizing their potential and providing a roadmap for younger women in navigating career and life opportunities in their respective fields.
Addressing the gender gap that continues to hinder the economic security of Nigerian women, Jane Egerton-Idehen emphasized the need for gender equality as a catalyst for higher growth, productivity, and economic stability, benefitting not only women but also their families and the country as a whole. She highlighted the disparity in legal rights and opportunities between men and women in Nigeria and called for initiatives that empower women, particularly in the technology sector.
Prior to the online release of her new book, titled “Be Fearless: Give yourself permission to be You,” Egerton-Idehen, who serves as the Country Manager Nigeria/Regional Sales Manager, West Africa for Avanti Communications and founder of Women and Career organization, urged for a more equitable representation of women in corporate Nigeria, especially in the technology industry. She stressed the importance of striving for a more balanced sector where everyone is enabled. She also mentioned the theme of the International Women’s Day- Each for Equal, as a reminder that more work is needed to achieve gender equality and foster a more prosperous and harmonious world.
Additionally, Egerton-Idehen urged parents, siblings, husbands, colleagues, and supporters of women to empathize and assist them in realizing their potential both at home and in the workplace.
The ‘Be Fearless’ Campaign includes a book tour to approximately 20 tertiary institutions in Nigeria, book reading sessions at leading bookstores, scholarships for female students in STEM courses, and a formal launch of her new book. The initiative also aims to encourage successful entrepreneurs and businesswomen in Nigeria to share their experiences, challenges, and insights with a younger generation of African women.
“Be Fearless: Give yourself permission to be You” documents the author’s remarkable journey challenging gender roles and stereotypes, from her upbringing in the slums of Ajegunle in Lagos, Nigeria, to negotiating million-dollar deals for global telecoms giants. Written with aspiring young women in mind, Egerton-Idehen shares her experiences of overcoming her less-privileged background, education, career journey, marriage, and motherhood, exposing the cultural expectations, biases, and barriers that often hinder career aspirations, and dispelling them. The book is available online from March 17th, 2020, on Amazon.
Jane’s extraordinary story, encompassing a different world and changing times, illustrates the potential achievements of a determined young girl when survival is the only option. Her honest account of growing up in one of Nigeria’s largest slums, pursuing education, navigating relationships, and ascending to become one of Nigeria’s leading women in technology, carries a message of hope to African women, showing that they too can break the glass ceiling.
Several female corporate leaders have spoken highly of “Be Fearless: Give yourself permission to be You.” Joyce M. Roche, Author of The Empress Has No Clothes: Conquering Self-Doubt to Embrace Success, and Board Member, Macy’s Inc., Tupperware Corporation, describes the book as essential reading for professional women, providing authentic essays on personal and professional challenges faced by women and offering solutions and insights. The book has also garnered praise from other prominent female figures such as Funke Opeke, MainOne founder, Ambassador Folake Marcus-Bello, former Nigerian Ambassador to Malawi and Zambia, and Aliza Knox, Head of Cloudflare, Asia and Pacific region.