Port Operators Bemoan Gender Inequality In Maritime Industry
Seaport Terminal Operators Association of Nigeria (STOAN), has said less than two per cent of women make the workforce in Nigeria’s maritime industry.
Speaking while moderating a session with the Secretary-General of the International Maritime Organisation (IMO), Mr. Kitack Lim at the Nigeria International Maritime Summit (NIMS) 2022 in Lagos, the chairman of STOAN, Vicky Hasstrup, said the gender equality gap in the industry remains “very wide and unacceptable”.
She, however, commended the government agencies and private organisations in the industry for their effort to bridge the gap, but maintained that despite these efforts, “a lot more work still needs to be done to give women their rightful place in the industry.”
“I commend the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) Women in Maritime programme initiated in 1988 to support gender equality and the empowerment of maritime women.
“Government agencies and private companies in the Nigerian maritime industry have also tried to develop various policies/initiatives including training, mentorship and networking opportunities to integrate more women into the sector, but it is still a long way to go.
“Women underrepresentation, discrimination and lower pay, among other challenges, are some of the threats to gender equality in the maritime industry.
“A lot more effort is required to counter these challenges faced by women in the industry,” she said.
The Nigerian-British Chamber of Commerce(NBCC) has identified technology as a veritable tool in boosting employment, given the significant opportunities it offers in the face of the staggering unemployment rate in the country.
Driven by a desire to bridge the knowledge gap and equip young people with requisite tech skills, the NBCC graduated its first set of students, Cohort 1.1 from its Tech Academy.
The chairman, Technology Committee, NBCC, Mrs. Solape Akinpelu said that ‘it is pleasant memories of the past and great expectations for the future.’
Akinpele stated that, the main impetus for the academy’s establishment was the desire to bridge the gender gap in the Tech Sector.
She pointed out that despite the sector’s expansion, it is yet to impact the unemployment rate, which has increased from 32.5 per cent in 2021 to 33 per cent in 2022.
She noted that the first cohort of the Tech Academy kicked off on July 4, 2022 with more than 50 participants, both male and female.
She specifically acknowledged the Main Sponsor; PwC and the other sponsors and Partners including Dataflex Nigeria Limited, Department of International Trade, HerVest, The Nest Innovation Park, CWG, and Heckerbella, for their invaluable support.
TPT International Limited, a full-service public relations agency has won the PR Agency of the Year Award in the Industry Category, and Reputation Management Recognition Award under the Industry Recognition category respectively, at the first edition of the Nigerian Marketing Awards, held in Lagos, recently.
This is in recognition of its performance in setting standards of excellence in Public Relations response and implementation outcomes, as well as providing value-added and sustainable communication services to discerning clients in the West African sub-region.
Founder and chief consultant, TPT International Limited, Adetokunbo Modupe, said, indeed, the award placed the agency on the right pedestal in the marketing industry in Nigeria, due to the creative solutions it offers to diverse clients in all sectors.
He further appreciated the agency’s clientele for entrusting their briefs to the firm while commending his team for the hard work and creativity it proffers to ensure clients’specific business goals and objectives are met.
“Big congratulations for the TPT double take at the Nigerian Marketing Awards. Fittingly, this is coming from a credible and independently assessed board of jurors. Our place in the marketing industry is engraved with the right medal. Many thanks to our clients for entrusting their briefs to us and no fewer thanks to the team for always distilling and creatively responding to the briefs while providing solutions,”the TPT boss stated.