Seaport operators fault gender imbalance in maritime sector

Less than two percent of women are employed in the marine industry of Nigeria, according to the Seaport Terminal Operators Association of Nigeria.Information Guide Nigeria

The Chairman of STOAN, Princess Vicky Haastrup, stated this on Monday in Lagos, Nigeria, while moderating a session with the Secretary-General of the International Maritime Organization, Kitack Lim, at the Nigeria International Maritime Summit 2022.

She stated that the gender equality gap in the business remained extremely large and inexcusable, praising government authorities and private organizations for their efforts to close the gap.JAMB portal

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She asserted that despite these efforts, a great deal of work remained to be done to give women their appropriate place in the sector.

“I commend the IMO Women in Maritime programme initiated in 1988 to support gender equality and the empowerment of maritime women. Government agencies and private companies in the Nigerian maritime industry have also tried to develop various policies/initiatives including training, mentorship and networking opportunities to integrate more women into the sector, but it is still a long way to go.”

According to her, “Women underrepresentation, discrimination and lower pay, among other challenges, are some of the threats to gender equality in the maritime industry. A lot more effort is required to counter these challenges faced by women in the industry,” she said.

The chairman of STOAN stated that the IMO’s gender programme provided women with gender-specific fellowships as well as policies that would ensure equity, safe, and decent working conditions for all industry participants.NYSC portal

In addition, it created an environment where women were recognized and nominated for career development opportunities in maritime training institutes, as well as a barrier-free workplace for women, she said.

“I also commend IMO for establishing the International Day for Women in Maritime to provide a platform to highlight and celebrate the achievements of women in maritime and identify areas of improvement for gender balance,” she said.

In his response, Kitack Lim said, “Women inclusion in the world maritime has already caught momentum. One thing in IMO is, recently, I appointed the first female director in the history of the organisation. I expect something like this in Nigeria. I hope you may produce this in Nigeria. I hereby throw my weight behind women inclusion in Nigeria.”

The Permanent Secretary of the Federal Ministry of Transportation, Dr. Magdalena Ajani, contributed to the session by urging women to acquire the essential skills to be competitive.

“Don’t just ask for position because of your sex but earn it. Earn it by empowering yourself with the required skills and go all out there to get what you want. If you have the required capacity, it’s going to be very difficult for people to just push you aside,” she said.JAMB Result

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