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Madam Sylvi Asana Dauda Owu, the Regional President of Women in Maritime in West and Central Africa (WIMoWCA), has said that women are increasingly gaining opportunities and leadership space within the maritime sector.
Madam Owu said despite the industry’s long-standing male dominance, women were gaining leadership opportunities in the sector in West and Central Africa.
She said this, at a media forum powered by the Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority (GPHA).
She stated that the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) had deliberately introduced women-focused initiatives within the maritime sector to expand opportunities, strengthen capacity and support women to take up leadership roles.
Madam Owu indicated that the IMO had established regional professional associations for women in maritime to bring together professionals to share ideas, mentor younger women and contribute to the development of the sector.
She stated that there were eight such regional associations globally, with WIMoWCA being the youngest, covering West and Central Africa.
Again, the Association had benefited from support from partners, including the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) and the Danish Embassy, which facilitated its most recent regional conference that brought together women across the sub-region.
Madam Owu said capacity building remained central to WIMoWCA’s work, noting that fellowship programmes had been created to support training and professional development for women in maritime.
She stressed the importance of data in shaping effective interventions, citing a joint study by WISTA and IMO in 2021, which showed that women made up 26 per cent of the global maritime workforce, a figure that declined to 19 per cent by 2024.
She said only one per cent of women were engaged in seafaring roles, indicating the need for intensified efforts to attract and retain women in the sector.
Madam Owu described Ghana’s affirmative action agenda as a positive step, urging stakeholders to move beyond dialogue and actively apply such frameworks within the maritime space.
She cited the appointment of Ghanaian women such as Madam Jamila Mahama, the Board Chair of the Ghana Maritime Authority, and Madam Esther Gyebi-Donkor, as an encouraging signs of progress.
She said mentorship was key, adding that WIMOWCA’s five-year global strategy, developed under the IMO framework, prioritised mentorship, advocacy and youth engagement to demystify the maritime sector and attract younger women.
