The Ocean Ambassador Foundation has organised a career talk for female students to encourage them to build a career in seafaring as part of the activities to mark this year’s children’s day celebration.
Violet Williams, founder/convener of Ocean Ambassador Foundation, said at the event in Lagos on Monday that it has become a thing of concern that only about 9 percent of Nigerian seafarers are female, according to the statistics by the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA).
According to her, the idea behind the event was to empower the girl child, and to key into the International Maritime Organization (IMO) campaign for the girl child to come onboard the vessel as seafarers.
She said seafarers control the economy because international trade will not move and maritime transportation would not be possible without them.
While expressing appreciation to the LTT Coastal and Marine Services Ltd for their support for the girl child education in Nigeria, she said LTT is not only passionate about the girl child but also offers sea-time training opportunities to female cadets interested in building careers in shipping.
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“We want the upcoming generation particularly girls to take up a career in shipping and we believe that such people will rewrite the history of the Nigerian maritime sector,” Williams said.
Speaking on the topic, ‘Seafaring and Digitalisation in Maritime Services, is it a Career for the Girl Child?’ Edidiong Sola-Abalo, a female ship captain, told the students that they were privileged to be part of the career talk because it will enable them to chart the part of their careers.
She said though seafaring is a career that is male-dominated, women have started to change the narrative by taking up careers in seafaring.
According to her, there are several technologies in place that are making shipping easier, and she advised the students to work towards improving their computer skills in order to thrive in seafaring.
Citing the use of charts in shipping as an example, Sola-Abalo said the chart helps the ship Captain navigate through different channels along international waters.
She said that seafaring exposes one to meet people and travel around the world even as she also encouraged the students to have a vision because it will help to get to where they desired to be in life.
On her part, Preye Canus, a female tug boat captain, also encouraged the students to build a career in seafaring because it is a good job that does not have gender limitations.
She advised the students to identify their drive in life in order to know the career path to take.
Ezinne Azunna, creative director for Maritime TV, took the students through the importance of hygiene among the girl child.
She also took the students through the meaning of some maritime-related jargon as well as other notable career opportunities in the maritime sector.
