Sheevolution Africa has provided mentorship opportunities to 300 Nigerian girls, geared towards empowering the future female leaders, by bridging critical gaps in their career development.
The initiative aims to inspire confidence, leadership, and future success among African girls.
Jadesola James-Omitiran, founder of Sheevolution Africa, said the five-day event, held concurrently in Lagos and Ibadan, was motivated by the recognition of mentorship gaps for the girl-child, especially in Nigeria.
“The girl-child hasn’t been given the needed opportunities, and so Sheevolution is bridging that gap, to create opportunities and expose girls, particularly from underserved communities, to the skills and knowledge needed to lead themselves.
“We realised the girls are not lacking potential, but opportunities, hence, we’re the opportunity-makers for African girls, starting with Nigeria,” she said.
James-Omitiran revealed that the participants’ biggest gain at the camp is a changed mindset.
“Our biggest objective is transformation of the mind, from I can’t do it, to I can do it; because everything starts with the mind,” she noted.
She said the initiative focuses on girls between the ages of 11 to 19 in underserved communities, and is open to all.
“We’re constantly working to make sure that we’re inclusive, even with teen mothers, because we realise, they also need support,” she noted.
Mary Owolabi, policy and advocacy manager at Sheevolution Africa, said the 2025 edition is remarkable, being the fifth anniversary, hence the introduction of vocational skill trainings.
“We’re combining the technical and vocational educational training skills (TVET) model to raise wholesome leaders,” she said.
Owolabi encourages parents to be intentional about the upbringing of their children.
“Every parent should be intentional about raising girls with a self-leader mentality. The girl-child should be trained to take responsibilities,” she emphasised.
Atim Ukoh, chief executive officer of AfroLens, who anchored the dining etiquette session, “Grace at the Table”, said the 2025 edition was special to her because it combined food and etiquette training, spaces where she said people mess up a lot.
“You have to teach people from the grassroots, so they don’t get ruled out of conversations even before they’ve opened their mouths.
“How you sit at a table and interact with people determines everything,” she said.
She emphasised the need for girls to learn table manners early, especially those from the underserved communities.
Jacqueline Agweh, executive director at Sanlam Allianz General Insurance Nigeria Limited, said being a female should not stop people from achieving their life goals.
“It’s good for girls to develop their writing skills, whether they’re going to be authors or not; it’s good to be able to write well, because being able to put one’s thoughts to paper can lead to becoming a best seller tomorrow,” she said.
Ugo Anidi, an author, said that writing stories can help girls imagine futures beyond limitations.
“It gives her confidence in her voice, helps her understand that her ideas, experiences, and imagination matter, besides, that her voice deserves to be heard.
“Story writing gives children a space to dream, explore, and express feelings they might not otherwise share,” she said.
Anidi noted that creating characters, conflicts, and solutions helps children build critical thinking skills and learn how to infuse backgrounds, languages, and traditions into their stories, and appreciate their identity and heritage, as well.
Sope Martins, founder of the Kid Lit Foundation, emphasised the need to upskill children in the arts and science of story writing to boost their imagination.
“Imagination is crucial to building sound children. Once they can imagine their future, they can attain it.
“Story-telling skill improves children’s imagination and allows them to think beyond their circumstances,” she said.
Esther Adedoja, a 200-level law student at the University of Lagos and an alumnus of Sheevolution, expressed her excitement at seeing the initiative evolve.
She said the programme gave her wings to express herself and become her best.
“In 2020, when I joined, I was confused, unsure of what to do. I was shy, with no one to talk to, but through Sheevolution’s teachings, I overcame the challenges with the needed clarity,” she said.
