International Day for Women in Maritime 2024: Women occupy 41% top management positions in NIMASA – DG

At least 41per cent of top management positions are occupied by women in the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA).

Director General of NIMASA, Dr. Dayo Mobereola, disclosed this on Friday in Lagos, while giving his keynote address on the occasion of the 2024 International Day for Women in Maritime marked ahead of the 18 May anniversary that is celebrated globally.

The International Day for Women in Maritime is a day set aside by the International Maritime Organisation (IMO), to recognize women in the industry for their resilience and value contribution in various areas of the maritime sector.

Dr. Mobereola told the audience of various women’s groups in the maritime industry present that the Agency’s commitment to ensuring a sound culture of inclusion and gender equality made it possible for women to enjoy career growth to top management level.

“At NIMASA, we are committed to fostering a culture of diversity and empowerment, with 41 per cent of top management is female, we recognize the immense value that women bring to our organisation and the maritime community as a whole,” the NIMASA DG said.

Represented by the Executive Director in charge of Maritime Labour and Cabotage, Jibril Abba, the DG lauded the women in Nigeria’s maritime sector for their immense contributions at their various point of service delivery.

He also made reference to the need to address the many challenges that women were still faced with in the course of their work in the sector, saying it was important to address them all.

“Your dedication, resilience and expertise have not only enriched the industry, but also inspire a future generation of women to pursue careers in the maritime. “While we celebrate the progress that have been made we, we must also acknowledge the challenges that women in maritime continue to face; gender inequality, discrimination, harassment, and lack of opportunities for career advancement.

“As we strive to build a more inclusive and diverse maritime sector we must address these challenges head-on and create a safe and enabling environment for all maritime professionals,” Dr. Mobereola said.

He used the opportunity to call on all stakeholders in the maritime industry, governments, businesses, industry associations to join hands in building level-playing grounds, fight against all forms of barriers and discrimination, in order to create equal opportunities for women at all levels in the maritime sector, and empower the women to reach their full potential.

The DG shared with his audience that NIMASA has been supporting women advancement in the maritime sector through targeted initiatives, targeted programmes and advocacy.

Earlier in her presentation, Mrs Olamide Odusanya, the Director Financial services at NIMASA, appreciated the IMO for creating an inclusive and supportive environment to recognise women in maritime, in line with the provisions of the Sustainable Development Goal 5, which is Gender Equality.

Her words: “It is clear the pivotal role of women in the maritime industry, closing the gender gap, which is the SDG 5- Gender Equality, has been an internal quest of women folks since industrial revolution. And one significance achievement has been made; we still have a long way towards achieving relative parity.

“Nevertheless, we are proud to know that the maritime industry is one where great institutions like the IMO are taking steps to recognize the uniqueness and potential of women in shipping. We are indeed proud to say that in Nigeria, women have admirably and successfully held and are holding positions of leadership in shipping and maritime and have displayed innovation and strategic thinking in the discharge of their responsibilities.”

Mrs. Odusanya applauded women for their resilience to be caregivers at home and still play their roles professionally in the maritime industry, contributing immeasurable wealth of value to shaping the sector over the ages.

In her goodwill message, Dr. Odunayo Ani, president of the Women International Shipping and Trading Association (WISTA), encouraged the women to be proud of their contributions to the sector.

She  charged NIMASA  to continue to “promotion of greater diversity and inclusion through strengthened partnership activities in the sector and WISTA Nigeria looks forward to partner with you to provide a sustainable future for the Nigerian shipping industry and worldwide.”

Also speaking, Barrister Oritsematosan Edodo-Emore, expressed gratitude for the official inauguration of the Women in Maritime of West and Central Africa (WIMOWCA) by NIMASA,  as part of the activity marking the International Day for Women in Maritime 2024.

As president of WIMOWCA Nigeria, Edodo-Emore said: “We pledge to support NIMASA and the IMO and the entire Marine and Blue Economy in everything that we do.”

She disclosed that WIMOWCA was inaugurated in 2021 by the Secretary-General of the IMO Kitack Lim in Ghana, as the eight and newest maritime women association with the mandate to set up national chapters “in line with the IMO’s charge that WIMOWCA should work directly with the Maritime Administrations to champion the IMO agenda of inclusion, diversification and gender equality in the maritime industry worldwide.”

Goodwill messages were also given by Women in Maritime Africa, Nigeria chapter, Women in Logistics and Transport (WiLAT), among other stakeholders in the maritime industry.

A paper presentation for the day was given by Mrs. Gloria Anyasodo – Coordinator, Western Zone at NIMASA.

She spoke about the current trends in the maritime and how women can navigate their path doing the best as professionals where they serve,

She also applauded the initiative for a day set aside to recognise and honour women in the maritime industry world over.  She said “We are not just here courtesy of NIMASA, we are here for the celebration of the International Day for Women in Maritime, which is to honour women accomplishment in the industry, promote their visibility and inspire them to press forward to higher grounds.

“This initiative is to also consistent with the UN SGD 5- Gender Equality, which is a call for action to consciously eliminate gender disparity  through the provision of equal access to basic elements of life, education being the prime.”

While urging women to always do assessments of their development and vision, she said that several opportunities were still available that women can take advantage of.

“In the threats and trends, there are many opportunities for women. With technological advancement, you can stay in your cabin and you can do your control, do your watch keeping. So, you don’t have to be exposed. So, our girls can actually go for seafaring,” Anyasado said.

Highpoint of the day’s event was the official inauguration of WIMOWCA Nigeria chapter by the DG NIMASA.