Dominica State College in collaboration with Dominica Agricultural Industrial and Development Bank (AID bank) is proud to present two major forums to be presented by two powerful international black women Ms. Farida Bedwei and her sister Ms. Ayesha Bedwei.
The first forum will be delivered by Ms. Farida Bedwei on Wednesday, 12th April, 2017 from 10.45 at the DSC auditorium. Farida Bedwei will present on the topic‘Software Engineering: A Life Changer’
Farida Bedwei is a celebrated software engineer from Ghana. Born in 1979, Bedwei was diagnosed with cerebral palsy at the age of one — cerebral palsy is an incurable neurological disorder that affects body movement and muscle coordination but does not interfere with the ability to learn. She has steadfastly refused to let her disability affect her career trajectory.
Today, as the co-founder and chief technical officer of software company Logiciel, she is considered one of the most powerful women in financial technology on the African continent. In 2013, South Africa’s CEO Magazine named Bedwei the most influential woman in business and government in Africa for the financial sector (CNN, 2015). In February of 2015 Cable News Network (CNN) published an article on Ms. Bedwei entitled ‘The inspirational tech guru who’s owning cerebral palsy ‘like a boss’.
The second forum will be presented by Ms. Ayesha Bedwei on Thursday, 14th April, 2017 from 11:45am at the DSC auditorium. Ayesha Bedwei will present on the topic ‘Leadership and Career Development’.
Ayesha Bedwei is a Partner in PwC based in Ghana. She specializes in Tax advisory services and holds leadership positions within PwC in the areas of; Corporate Responsibility and Diversity & Inclusion, responsible for PwC’s West Market Area (Ghana, Nigeria and Liberia); Energy, leading PwC’s Africa Region; and Learning and Education, where she leads for Ghana.
Ayesha’s passion for leadership and career development is palpable and this was recognized by the multi-national textile company Vlisco, when she was nominated as a finalist for the 2014 “Vlisco Brand Ambassador for Ghana” Award. Ayesha also received recognition from UN Aids and an appointment as an ambassador for their “protect the goal campaign” aimed at HIV awareness and reduction. She was also named as a Finalist for Ghana for the “Africa’s most Influential Women in Business and Government 2014” award organized by CEO Communications of South Africa.
In 2014, Ayesha became a member of the prestigious African Leadership Network (ALN). In the same year, she sat on the judging panel for ALN’s Africa Awards for Entrepreneurship. She is a regular contributor to articles in Ghana’s business print media and appears on Television programs discussing various issues including Tax, Corporate Responsibility and Diversity and Inclusion.More recently, Ayesha was named one of Ghana’s 20 Influential business leaders under 40 by Ghana’s business world magazine in March 2015.
Although the lectures are geared towards DSC students, the wider public are invited to attend.
For more information on the lectures, contact Mr. Edgar Stephen Hunter at Tel: 255-8126/7 or Cell: 7672250572 or email: [email protected].
The 14th is on friday. Please ascertain the date.
The article neglected to mention that Ayesha Bedwei attended the Convent Preparatory school in Roseau, Dominica, for several years while her father was stationed in on island.
Inspiring stories from both of them, truly inspiring. I hope the students and visitors alike learn from her presentation that you should never limit yourself!
Very strong women indeed! It’s nice that they’re coming to give back to one of the communities that helped raise them.