Kenya marks inaugural International Day for Women in Maritime
30.05.2022
KISUMU
Principal Secretary State Department for Shipping and Maritime Affairs Dr. Nancy Karigithu has called for more efforts to break barriers impeding women advancement in the maritime sector.
Dr. Karigithu made these remarks recently as the world marked the Inaugural International Day for Women in Maritime, which was celebrated in Kisumu County in a three-day conference.
She noted that while significant strides have been made in promoting gender equality and women participation in most sectors in the country, more needs to be done within the maritime industry to address challenges.
She reiterated Kenya’s commitment in advancing the inclusion and participation of women in the maritime and Blue Economy sectors; an industry that constitutes a paltry 2 percent overall women workforce worldwide.
Ms Karigithu further added that as a maritime nation, the government has developed a framework to push for more opportunities for women through training and skills development in shipping and maritime to include areas of seafaring, ship operations and cruise ship services.
She commended the International Maritime Organization, the Association of Women in the Maritime Sector in Eastern and Southern region and other partners for their role in amplifying women in the sector, which has contributed to an increase in the number of women enrolling for maritime -related courses.
“We acknowledge and are grateful for the strong support from IMO in recognizing that improving the participation of women in the maritime community leads to better socio-economic outcomes”, She remarked.
Women delegates from twenty-two countries in the region participated in the conference sponsored by IMO, Kenya Ports Authority, Kenya Maritime Authority, Association of Women in the Maritime Sector in Eastern and Southern Region (WOMESA), the Port Management Association of Eastern and Southern Africa (PMAESA), Government of Kenya among others.
The conference with the theme ‘Women in Maritime; Opportunities and Milestones Achieved’, centered on capacity building and sharing of knowledge and experiences of women in maritime.
Mr. Xiaojie Zhang the Director of Technical Cooperation Division of IMO delivered a goodwill message from IMO, which affirmed the organization’s commitment to support initiatives that will ensure equality equity and inclusivity of women and a fair balance in the male dominated industry.
Kisumu County Governor Prof. Anyang’ Nyongo who officially opened the conference, echoed the sentiments saying that Blue Economy offers countless opportunities therefore women should not be sidelined but take up their rightful position in the industry.
‘We want to see more women taking charge in cargo vessels, leadership in Beach Management Units and even ferry vessels’ he remarked.
He however cited a lack of access to information about women opportunities in the sector calling for more awareness.
Kenya Ports Authority has made significant gains in integrating more women into senior management positions as well as operational areas previously dominated by men including, pilotage and sea time training, engineering, equipment operations, among others.
General Manager for Corporate Research, Planning and Compliance Department Ms. Evelyne Mwamure, who served as the first chair of WOMESA added that through KPA and IMO, women have gained valuable experience and skills through training opportunities both in and out of the country.
The event also saw the official unveiling of the Gender and Equal Opportunity Sub-Committee under Mombasa Port and Northern Corridor Community Charter. The Sub-Committee under the Chairmanship of WOMESA will constitute membership from KPA, KMA and Shippers Council of East Africa, and joins the Monitoring and Evaluation Communication and ICT sub-committees in advancing the charter objectives.
The International Maritime Organization Assembly at its 32nd session in 2021 adopted a resolution on International Day for Women in Maritime to be observed on 18th May every year.
The aim is to promote the recruitment, retention, and sustained employment of women in the maritime sector, raise the profile of women in the sector, strengthen IMO’s commitment of Sustainable Development Goal number 5 and support work to address the current gender imbalance in Maritime.
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