“Sit at the table; take the opportunities and don’t shy away from your abilities. True leadership depends on real passion, deep knowledge and great skillfulness.” A passionate Adebola Deji-Kurunmi looked intently into the eyes of women in the filled room as she charged them to Lean In and take up leadership roles in their businesses and corporations. She is the CEO of Ideation Hub and the host of Development Diaries; she was part of a power panel that addressed participants at the just concluded Creative Women in Media Summit 2015 organized by Talk Village in Lagos.

African women have been proven to have the highest entrepreneurial activity in the world, but the rate of their businesses’ survival compared to Western women’s is at an abysmal low according to a Global Entrepreneurship Monitor Report. At the depth of the customary under-performance of women in the business world, is a lack of confidence in their abilities to deliver as much as their male counterparts. This in part, can be traced to the stereotypic roles that the African culture has pinned on the female gender, and the resultant indoctrination of the girl child’s ‘rightful place’ into her consciousness right from childhood. This among others, formed the bedrock of the charges given participants by Mrs. Deji-Kurunmi and other seasoned speakers at the event.

Women media practitioners must stop seeing the business terrain as male-led and start negotiating like men. It has been statistically proven that women are more accepting and do not drive hard bargains while discussing remunerations with employers their male counterparts. In order to build lasting brands, women must also develop standard business models.

Cross-section of participants

Biodun Dapherede, CEO of EPO USA charged attendees to be fearless in their business pursuits as she spoke on the topic: Building a global brand. Also speaking at the event were Mina Ogbanga – Editor-in-Chief of RB Magazine, Ihotu Amuta – Founder, Jewel Network, Grace Oboba Edwin-Okon – CEO Derwin Productions, and Stephen Oguntoyinbo of Talk Village International, who hosted the summit.

Recommended readings at the summit include Chimamanda Adichie’s ‘The danger of a Single Story’, Google COO, Sheryl Sandberg’s ‘Lean In’, and publications by the International Women’s Media Foundation (IWMF). Listening to TedEx Talks would furthermore advance a global outlook for women in media. The summit was well attended by journalists, bloggers, digital strategists, film practitioners, authors, new media experts and media enthusiasts.