‘Women in maritime industry need encouragement’

The Founder of the Centre for Maritime Training and Development (CMTD) Foundation, Ms Rekiatu Larteykaa Gberbie, has encouraged women to develop interest in the maritime industry.

The foundation is a non-governmental organisation (NGO) established for the purpose of empowering and projecting young women in Africa's shipping and logistics industry through diverse mentoring programmes.

She said it was time to change the statistics of women in the maritime industry, with the provision of enhanced opportunities for women, given that the International Transport Workers’ Federation estimated that only two per cent of the world’s maritime workforce was made up of women.
 
Female students from RMU

Ms Gberbie, who is also the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the CMTD foundation, made the comment when she led some female students from the Regional Maritime University (RMU) to visit the Maersk Group and learn at first hand operations of the group in the maritime industry.

Maersk is an integrated container logistics company in the maritime industry that operates in 130 countries, including Ghana.

The visit was also part of an initiative of the foundation to help nurture young students into the maritime industry while in school.

 Students who visited the group are all members of the foundation.

She stated that the maritime industry needed more women, particularly in leadership roles, to promote the contribution of the industry to national development, pointing out that beyond government’s intervention, the CMTD foundation was making efforts to encourage women to achieve a representation which was more dignifying in the industry.

“Although our scope is to focus on young women, we still have plans to engage the young men as well,” she added.

Deliberate measures

The Export Manager of Damco Logistics, an entity under Maersk Group, Mrs Enam Kenyenso, observed that although the maritime industry worldwide was dominated and controlled by men, it was necessary to assist women who had interest in the field to gradually take opportunities in the industry.

She said it was equally important to reduce the prejudices women encountered in the industry on a daily basis and rather encourage them to work hard to improve on their levels of competence so as to make positive contributions to the country’s socio-economic development.