Guest Article
Chioma O. Obi Assistant Chief Legal Metrology Officer, Weights & Measures Deparment, Federal Ministry of Industry, Trade, and Investment - Nigeria Across Borders, One Measurement: A Nigerian Woman in Weights & Measures First NCWM Annual Meeting
There are moments in one's professional journey that quietly redefine the future. For me, attending the National Council on Weights and Measures (NCWM) Annual Meeting for the very first time was one of those moments. As a Legal Metrologist from Nigeria, travelling to the United States for the 111th NCWM Annual Meeting was much more than attending another professional conference. I arrived carrying my own experiences from Nigeria, but I also carried the experiences of women working in metrology in a developing country where our profession is essential to consumer protection, fair trade, economic development and confidence in the marketplace. I was curious about what I would find. What I found was a community, the warm welcoming smiles, and the general camaraderie. What struck me most was not the technical excellence on display, but the fact that every session reminded me that regardless of geography, the differing jurisdictions, the differing regulatory frameworks, and the difference in available resources, the heart of our work is remarkably similar: How do we ensure that measurement can be trusted? How do we protect the consumer? How do we keep pace with technology? And how do we prepare the next generation of professionals to carry the work forward? Those conversations motivated me. They reminded me that I am part of something much bigger than my immediate workplace or even my country. There is a global community of people who care deeply about measurement, and there is enormous value in connecting across borders. My reflections on women in metrology did not begin at NCWM. In 2023, I created a WhatsApp group called Nigerian Women in Metrology. At the time, the idea was quite simple; I wanted Nigerian women working in different areas of metrology to have a space where we could connect, share information and support one another. Women sometimes need a place where they can ask questions without feeling inadequate, share an opportunity without feeling competitive, discuss career challenges honestly, celebrate another woman's achievement without reservation and, perhaps most importantly, see what is possible through the journeys of other women.
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