“Across the world, it has become a global agenda that women must be empowered economically. It makes good economic sense because women have a natural instinct to do certain things. If you empower a woman, she tends to invest her earnings into the household, into the education of her children, and they go out to contribute to their communities, the nation and the African continent. So, why not give women the same opportunities men have?"
- Irene Ochem is the Founder and CEO of ICO Conferences & Events Limited the organisers of amongst other high profile events, the Africa Women Innovation and Entrepreneurship Forum. Irene had a long career of over 10 years with United Nations Industrial Development Organisation (UNIDO) in Italy, where she held various positions in administration management. Subsequently, she was Research Administration Manager at University of Cape Town, South Africa and worked as an International Consultant for United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA) and African Union Commission (AUC) in Ethiopia. More recently, she was a Conference Producer and Programme Director with a leading South African-based conference and event management company where she has produced Africa’s largest power and utilities conferences and exhibitions.