Namibian civil engineer Sophia Belete-Tekie was awarded the women in engineering leadership award at the 11th Unesco Africa Engineering Week and ninth African Engineering Conference in Kampala, Uganda last week.
Belete-Tekie received the award for her outstanding leadership during her tenures as immediate past president of the Engineering Council of Namibia (August 2022 to June 2025) and the first female engineer to lead the Engineering Professions Association of Namibia.
The week-long conference that took place from 14 to 20 September brought together engineers, academics, policymakers, and innovators from across the continent to explore sustainable engineering solutions for Africa’s development.
It was hosted by the Uganda Institution of Professional Engineers in partnership with the Federation of African Engineering Organisations (FAEO).
During her acceptance speech, Belete-Tekie highlighted Namibia’s commitment towards the road management system and road sector reform, as well as mentorship offered to young engineers, especially women.
She also called for greater participation of women in engineering, observing that women represent less than 5% of Namibia’s 3 500 registered professional engineers.
She appealed to the FAEO to safeguard institutional memory and expand its disciplines to include roads and transport, alongside its existing energy and water sectors, so that the critical needs of Africa’s transport infrastructure receive focused attention.
“Africa will change when individuals nurture both material and spiritual well-being,” she said.
“Transformation begins with each of us – choosing service over self, integrity over comfort, and unity over division.”
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