Africa got its first female pilot in 1964 but the great achievement was not enough to encourage other women to get into aviation. Over the years, women were only training as flight attendants which seemed to be the most attractive work for them within the aviation sector. Piloting was left for men until women started gaining an interest in the field to create diversity and have their dreams come true.

Mopelola, Oluwaseun, and Oluwafunmilayo Makinde are three Nigerian sisters who have broken gender barriers to pursue careers in aviation. Their father, a veteran helicopter pilot known as Captain Wale Makinde, inspired them to become pilots. Captain Makinde, who is with the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority, told interesting stories about his work to his children while they were growing up.

Mopelola Makinde, who is the eldest of the three, heard her father’s stories of “flying helicopters to remote and challenging terrains”, and as she grew up, she realized that she wanted to be a pilot too, blackwallst media reported.