Even though there are 5,700 air miles between Macomb, Illinois and Osun State, Nigeria, faculty and students from Western Illinois University and professionals from the Western Africa sovereign state are forging partnerships to help propel Nigerian women into leadership roles so they can further build their country's independence.
The large populous federal republic has a longstanding relationship with Western, with hundreds of Nigerian students enrolling at WIU over the years. But it was actually a LinkedIn post that created the WiWa (Western Illinois Western Africa) Women's Project Collaboration, led by Adebimpe Jesujobi, with support and assistance from WIU Political Science Professor Casey LaFrance and other University faculty, staff and students.
'Bimpe and I met in a global group, and we both saw the possibilities, but she needed funding for a pilot project to offer training to women in her country,' LaFrance explained.
Zack Cleghorn, the founder and president of business development at Star Global College of Workforce Development, a program that primarily trains veterans, saw promise the promise of the program and donated $1,000, with LaFrance donating additional funding to get Jesujobi training and certified so she can in turn begin training other women. Western's role is to help get the word out and supply students from the Department of Political Science to provide assistance, and in turn, the students will learn more about nonprofits, international regulations and more. Currently, five WIU students are working in a support capacity this semester, and earning academic credit, while also earning credentials in project management and related fields from DisasterReady's free offerings.
Western's former director of international studies, Randy Glean, had initially helped build a large presence for the institution in Africa, especially Nigeria, which has also helped with the project, LaFrance noted. Now with the travel restrictions in place through the U.S. federal government, getting students here – and there – is much more difficult, but WiWa is focusing on building partnerships for the future. Recently, Jesujobi, along with her co-leader Derrick Amponsah, have earned the prestigious, globally recognized Business Professional Certification (PBP) from the Project Business Foundation in Germany, as well as the Project DPro (Development, Professional) Certification from PM4NGOs. In addition, 10 other women in the program will sit for the exam in the coming weeks, and after earning the credentials, will be eligible for grants, funding, business incubation and other uses.
