Operators of ports criticize the marine industry’s gender gap

By Yemi Olakitan

Less than 2% of women are employed in Nigeria’s marine sector, according to the Seaport Terminal Operators Association of Nigeria.
At the Nigeria International Maritime Summit 2022, the Chairman of STOAN, Princess Vicky Haastrup, made this statement while moderating a discussion with Kitack Lim, the Secretary-General of the International Maritime Organization.
She praised the government authorities and business organizations in the industry for their efforts in closing the gap, saying that the gender equality gap in the industry remained extremely vast and unacceptable.
Despite these initiatives, she insisted that much more work was still required to give women their due status in the sector.
“I applaud the IMO Women in Maritime initiative, which was started in 1988 to foster gender equality and maritime women’s empowerment. In order to incorporate more women into the sector, government organisations and private businesses in Nigeria’s marine industry have also worked to build various policies and initiatives, including networking opportunities, mentoring, and training. However, there is still a long way to go. She asserts that among other issues, “women underrepresentation, discrimination, and lower pay are some of the hurdles to gender equality in the marine business. To overcome these obstacles that women in the sector confront, much more work is needed, she said. The STOAN chairman claimed that the IMO’s gender programme offered women fellowships tailored to their needs as well as regulations that would guarantee fairness, safety, and respectable working conditions for all participants in the industry. She added that it helped to create a workplace free of barriers for women by providing a setting where they were acknowledged and nominated for career development possibilities in maritime training institutes.

I also applaud the International Maritime Organization (IMO) for creating the International Day for Women in Maritime to provide a forum to highlight and celebrate the accomplishments of women in maritime and identify areas for improvement for gender balance, she added.
“Women participation in the international maritime has already acquired steam,” Kitack Lim responded. One notable development in IMO is the recent appointment of the organization’s first female director. This is what I anticipate happening in Nigeria. I hope this may be made in Nigeria. I therefore pledge my support for the inclusion of women in Nigeria.
Dr. Magdalene Ajani, permanent secretary of the Federal Ministry of Transportation, spoke at the event and urged women to acquire the essential skills to be competitive.
Don’t merely beg for a position because of your sex; instead, prove yourself worthy. By arming yourself with the necessary abilities and using all of your effort to achieve your goals, you can earn it. It will be very difficult for people to simply throw you away if you have the necessary capacity, she remarked.