Nigerian Engineer Olumayowa Idowu to Lead Youth Leadership Discourse at Global Engineering Dialogue

Nigerian Engineer Olumayowa Idowu to Lead Youth Leadership Discourse at Global Engineering Dialogue

Young, dynamic Nigerian engineer and international engineering leader, Engr. Olumayowa Ayodeji Idowu, FNSE, will join distinguished professional leaders from different parts of the world at the 2nd Global Dialogue of Young Leaders, where he is scheduled to represent the World Federation of Engineering Organizations (WFEO). The international engagement, slated for Sunday, October 25, 2026, is being hosted by the National Committee of Young Engineers and Future Leaders of Peru, with the theme “Engage, Inspire, Lead: Building Stronger Young Professional Organizations.” The forum will bring together leaders of professional bodies to exchange ideas on strengthening youth participation and developing sustainable professional institutions.

As part of the programme, Idowu will feature in an interactive panel session focusing on the major obstacles confronting young professionals and emerging professional associations. He is expected to provide responses to questions examining the factors limiting youth empowerment, the difficulties experienced by youth-led organisations and practical measures for overcoming these challenges. Discussions will cover inadequate access to mentorship, financial constraints, limited opportunities for leadership development, declining member participation and insufficient institutional support, with particular emphasis on practical experiences and successful interventions.

The Nigerian engineering leader is expected to draw on his extensive experience in professional administration and international engineering engagements to demonstrate how mentorship, strategic partnerships, skills development and inclusive leadership can transform young professional organisations. His contributions will reflect lessons from his tenure as Chairman of the Nigerian Society of Engineers (NSE), Abeokuta Branch, as well as his involvement in programmes and initiatives within the Federation of African Engineering Organizations (FAEO). He will also explore approaches to encouraging greater youth involvement in decision-making, promoting innovation and building stronger networks among professionals across national boundaries.

Ahead of the international gathering, Idowu stressed the need for professional institutions to move beyond ceremonial recognition of young people and establish structures that offer genuine opportunities for advancement. He observed that sustainable youth development requires deliberate investment in mentorship, leadership training, institutional accountability and access to platforms where emerging professionals can contribute their knowledge and expertise. He further maintained that young engineers should be encouraged to participate in addressing societal challenges through innovation, collaboration and practical engineering solutions, rather than being regarded merely as leaders of tomorrow.

Currently serving as Chairman of the NSE Branch Chairmen Forum, which brings together 94 branches across Nigeria and the diaspora, Idowu has remained actively engaged in advancing professional development and institutional leadership within the engineering community. He is also involved in engineering activities at the continental level through FAEO. A Fellow of the Nigerian Society of Engineers, Senior Member of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) and COREN-registered engineer, Idowu is widely associated with the leadership philosophy “Engineering of Impact,” which emphasises purposeful service, professional responsibility and measurable contributions to societal development.

The international dialogue is being coordinated by a committee headed by Dr. Eng. Karla Fiorella Díaz Rodríguez, Executive Chair of the Global Dialogue of Young Leaders and President of the National Committee of Young Engineers and Future Leaders of the National Association of Engineers of Peru. The second edition is designed to consolidate the relationships established during the maiden event while encouraging the exchange of innovative ideas and workable solutions among young professional organisations worldwide. Idowu’s participation will provide a platform for sharing Nigerian and African experiences on youth leadership, institutional development and professional empowerment within the global engineering community.