GhIE Executive Director Calls for Bold Action to Advance Women in Digital Leadership

The Executive Director of the Ghana Institution of Engineering (GhIE), Ing. Dr. Mrs. Enyonam Kpekpena, has called on engineering institutions and stakeholders to deliberately invest in capacity-building programmes and digital skills training to advance women into leadership roles within the engineering profession.

She made the call while delivering a special lecture during a webinar themed “Women in the Era of Digital Twins and Artificial Intelligence,” in her capacity as Vice President and Chair of the Women in Engineering Committee of the World Federation of Engineering Organizations (WFEO). The webinar was jointly organized by the Institution of Engineers, Malaysia (IEM) and the IEM Training Academy Sdn as part of activities marking the International Day of Women in Multilateralism.

The webinar, held on 27 January 2026 via the Zoom online platform, brought together engineers, industry professionals, academics and policymakers from different countries to discuss strategies for promoting women’s participation and leadership in emerging digital technologies.

Ing. Dr. Kpekpena, speaking on the topic “Empowering Women Engineers in the Era of Digital Twins and Artificial Intelligence: Leadership, Inclusion, and Sustainable Impact” stressed the need for targeted certification pathways, advanced digital skills training and structured leadership development programmes tailored to support women engineers in navigating the rapidly evolving digital landscape.

She urged institutions to commit resources to women’s digital skills development and to establish robust mentorship networks and policy frameworks that would enable women to transition into decision-making and leadership roles in engineering and technology-related fields.

The GhIE Executive Director also underscored the importance of international collaboration, noting that cross-border partnerships accelerate technology transfer, enhance knowledge exchange and create global opportunities for women engineers to lead transformative projects.

She further encouraged women engineers to position themselves as active creators and innovators, rather than passive users of digital technologies, and to take bold steps in shaping the digital future.

Ing. Dr. Kpekpena challenged participants to translate the discussions into action by identifying practical steps within their organisations to promote women’s leadership in digital engineering.

The International Day of Women in Multilateralism, established by UNESCO in 2021, aims to highlight the vital role women play in international organisations and to advocate for increased representation of women in leadership and decision-making positions.

According to her, empowering women engineers is critical to building resilient, inclusive and sustainable digital systems that serve the needs of society.