Maritime Law Consultant and Legal Practitioner, Dr. Emmanuel Kofi Mbiah, has hinted that it is about time the International Maritime Organization (IMO) turns to an African woman as Secretary General.
He said, “very soon there would be elections of the Secretary-Generalship of the International Maritime Organisation. I am one of the crusaders who believe it is time. The world should realize it is not about lip service. We should see the reality on the ground. Let us give the opportunity to women.”
Dr. Mbiah, who has previously served as the Chairman of the Legal Committee of the IMO underscored the need for the establishment of a deliberate strategic plan of action that supports calls for increased women participation at the decision-making level.
The Maritime Lawyer said, “a program should be put in place that spells out a target, let’s say 10 years where certain objectives are benchmarked.”
He was speaking on Eye on Port in the aftermath of the International Women’s Day Celebration.
The industry veteran, also called for all-encompassing plans that will harness the full potential of ordinary women contributing to the blue economy.
He said, “if you look at Ghana’s coastline, you will see that the large number of people engaged in the fishing business are women, yet poverty is endemic in the entire coastal belt. We have to look at ways we can support women in areas of microfinance, marketing and packaging arrangements, and some export orientation for them so that we can move into levels that we can truly empower women.”
Dr. Kofi Mbiah, a former Chief Executive of the Ghana Shippers’ Authority heaped praise on women who have defied the odds and are continuing to excel in the shipping and maritime industry.
He particularly mentioned the likes of Josephine Nkrumah (ECOWAS), Sandra Opoku, Esther Gyebi Donkor, Nana Esi Soderberg, Angela Tawiah-Ahen (GPHA), and Benonita Bismarck (Shippers’ Authority) among others.
The maritime law consultant however charged women to consider careers in underexplored areas of the blue economy.
Dr. Mbiah cited ship repair, marine engineering, among others.
