By Laudia Sawer
Tema, Mar 11, GNA – The Women International Shipping and Trading Association, Ghana Chapter (WISTA-Ghana), has called for the intensification of more women venturing into opportunities in the maritime sector.
Mrs Gertrude Adwoa Ohene-Asienim, the President of WISTA-Ghana, speaking at a Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority (GPHA) media forum to mark International Women’s Day, noted that because shipping and maritime was not covered in the curriculum at the basic level, it behooves on stakeholders to advocate for it.
“It is about putting the opportunities out there for these young ladies to know that we have great opportunities in the sector. It is about advocacy; most people are very green in this area. It means that we must start because there is nothing in our curriculum about shipping when you are young until you decide to do so.”
She added that most women in maritime often chose careers in it because they might have known someone in the industry, adding that “mostly in maritime we do not trumpet the things we do, we do not share, so most people do not know.
“I had to finish university before I got to know that there was a nautical college. I had never dreamt about it. I had to come into shipping by accident where a company was inviting bids for management training, and that is how I got into shipping; otherwise, I did not know.”
The WISTA-Ghana president indicated that there were so many diverse areas, and shipping was unique in its way because there were so many specialisations in the sector including ship management, naval architecture, and logistics coordination.
Mrs. Ohene-Asienim also called for collaboration with maritime companies to help fund more women into training, noting that funding was a big challenge for younger people, disclosing that they must pay fees in dollars.
“At the Maritime University, they must pay fees in dollars to train one cadet to be able to go to sea; it is a huge sum of money. Even training in professional courses in shipping is expensive. We need more scholarships; we need more collaborations with industry to support and give scholarships, and all these have to do with funding,” she added.
GNA