A Nigerian businesswoman will lead the Mary Prince Women’s Entrepreneurial and Leadership Conference and public lecture next week.

Ibukun Awosika, the first chairwoman of the First Bank of Nigeria, will speak during the event.

Tinée Furbert, the Minister of Youth, Social Development and Seniors, praised Ms Awosika’s contributions to “supporting women entrepreneurs and business leaders”.

She said it aligned “perfectly” with her ministry’s work on gender equality and support for micro, small and medium-sized enterprises through accelerator programmes with the Bermuda Economic Development Corporation.

The minister added that the Government’s partnership with UN Women over the past two years “fostered significant engagement” on women’s empowerment.

Tonni Brodber, whose team from the UN Women Multi-Country Office Caribbean helped bring Ms Awosika to the conference, said her programme has “not only consistently provided women entrepreneurs with invaluable tools for leadership and entrepreneurial success, but [Ms Awosika] is also incredibly inspirational and motivational”.

She added that Ms Awosika was coming to Bermuda for the first time.

Small-business entrepreneur and media specialist Dana Selassie conceived of the Women’s Entrepreneurial and Leadership Conference after taking part in the Yemenja Networking Workshop for Women Entrepreneurs in Jamaica and the International Women’s Leadership Conference in Dubai.

The conference runs on June 10 and 11 and will consist of a two-day master class for a select group of female entrepreneurs and business leaders.

A free lecture featuring Ms Awosika will be held at the Bermuda Underwater Exploration Institute on June 10.

Female vendors will have light refreshments for sale during the lecture, which will run from 6.30pm to 8.30pm.

• People must register for the lecture by visiting bedc.bm

• UPDATE: this article has been updated to clarify that the lecture will be on June 10 only, not June 11 as earlier stated