Adetola Anifalaje is a mechanical and systems engineer as well as a serial entrepreneur resident in Los Angeles, California, United States of America.
She’s a woman breaking new grounds in a men’s dominated profession. In this short interview with Ayo Onikoyi, she takes us through her private world and the world of engineering. She tells us about how innovative advancements in engineering can help improve developing nations like Nigeria. This will be highly influential to Nigeria’s present state.
What intrigues you about engineering?
The creativity, the room for innovation and the ability to provide extreme solutions to almost anything. I don’t think there could have been a better field suited for me.
What’s the most exciting projects you have worked on?
That’s going to be hard to choose from. It’s going to have to be some of my work with NASA EPSCoR on Bio-Mimetic self-healing composite sandwich for impact tolerant next-generation aerospace structures.
What made it exciting?
It was a quite intensive research project funded by the NSF. Having to research and develop something innovative by finding the right structural composition with lots of testing that’s going to be possibly useful in the future of aerospace. Yeah, that was pretty cool.
How do you think Engineering can improve Nigeria as a developing nation?
Nigeria as a whole has a lot of potential, and untapped resources. It also houses some of the most brilliant people on the planet, whom, if the infrastructure is made available to, would have contributed immensely to the development of the nation through science and technology. Engineering could definitely improve a lot in the country by providing solutions to our already identified issues such as stable electricity, or even creating jobs for the youths if the economy allows or helps promote the mission entrepreneurs in engineering to bring about innovative advancements to the nation.
Do you have any plans to invest in the Nigerian economy?
I already did via a few subsidiaries to my conglomerate housed in Nigeria such as Journne, a new Rideshare company with a lot more incentives for drivers to help create jobs.
Is it true you are a new mom?
Yes, I am! I have a 10 month-old daughter. She’s the best addition to my life.
What’s her name?
Milani-Françoise Imisioluwa Akande.
How do you cope with being a new mom and an entrepreneur?
Milani is definitely a motivational factor in my life, so I have learnt to juggle both responsibilities.
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