Group to Establish Maritime Women Federation

African women in the maritime profession have rose from a two-day conference in Luanda, Angola and resolved to establish a Continental Maritime Women Federation (CMWF).
This was contained in a communique by Mrs Jean Chiazor- Anishere, President of Women’s International Shipping and Trading Association (WISTA) Nigeria. The communique noted that Africa lacked a continental manifesto and a common agenda to resolve gender issues in the maritime sector. Chiazor-Anishere said that the communique reflected the proceedings of the conference, first of its kind, on the “Empowerment of African Women in Maritime.’’ She added that the conference discussed “Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment in the AU-2063 Agenda/AIM 2050.’’
Also, the participants at the conference noted that all existing sub-regional, national and local maritime women associations currently worked independent of each other without coordination. They also observed that women worked without the existence of any binding or effective form of ongoing regular communication among them. The communique explained that the conference was convened in response to the United Nations call to bring gender equality into focus as well as to the 24th African Union Summit call for women empowerment in Africa. It said that this was aimed at achieving the goals of Agenda 2063.
The conference focused on measures to advance gender equality and women’s economic and political empowerment in the maritime sector at all levels. It said that these include: education, trade, logistics, fisheries and other areas relevant for African maritime women to benefit better from Africa’s Maritime Domain (AMD). Participants also discussed the vast potential for wealth creation. “The issue of gender and empowerment of maritime women has been under consideration and discussed for decades within the International Maritime Organization (IMO) under its `Empowering Women Programme’, participants said.
The communique said the programme had promoted the emergence of Female African Regional Maritime Organizations, The conference’s central theme was essentially based on the need for the African Maritime Women to actively participate in building Africa’s Blue Economy. The theme constituted the approach of how Africa should effectively learn from the lessons of the past; and strategically exploit all possible opportunities available in the immediate and medium term. The conference said that this would ensure positive socio-economic transformation within the next 50 years.
The conference tagged: `WIMAFRICA 2015’ was organised by the Angolan Women in Maritime Association (AMMPACA), in collaboration with Maritime Organization of West and Central Africa (MOWCA). The communique said that contacts were established and collaboration and participation of the AU Commission of the African Union was achieved. Other organizers of the conference were: African Ship Owners Association (ASOA), WISTA, African Union (AU) and several regional, continental and international cooperating partners.