WOMEN IN MARITIME INDUSTRY FORM ASSOCIATION (PAGE 46, JULY 26, 2010)

WOMEN in the maritime industry have called for the institution of a sub-regional coast guard network that can police the waters from the shipping range of Mauritania to Angola to provide maximum security along commercial shipping routes.
They called on maritime administrations, shippers and port authorities to intensify their integration for regional and sub-regional co-operation, partnerships and networking.
The President of the Women International Shipping and Trading Association (WISTA) Ghana, an organisation of women in management positions involved in maritime transportation business, Mrs Naa Densua Aryeetey, made the call at the inauguration of the association in Tema.
She said the association had among its objectives the need to facilitate the exchange of contacts, information and the promotion of the education of its members.
Mrs Aryeetey said the need to fight piracy and armed robbery would require the initiatives of all port authorities in the sub-region emphasising that 'no one country can do it alone”.
She said there were national WISTAs in over 28 countries world-wide, and in Africa, Ghana was the third country to have a national association with the others being WISTA Nigeria and WISTA South Africa.
Mrs Aryeetey said WISTA Ghana was established in June 2009 with a current membership drawn from both the public and private sectors to promote the role of women in the maritime industry.
She noted that its objectives were in line with the International Maritime Organisation's (IMO) agenda on women and development.
Mrs Aryeetey said that the marine industry was an international and dynamic one which depended on trade.
She estimated that between 2010 and 2015, there would be tremendous growth in the industry, though it would mostly be from Asia, specifically, China and India.
Mrs Aryeetey said with occurrences of oil spills, marine pollution and piracy among others, there was the need to invest more in maritime education to build the necessary human resource capacity to meet those challenges.
She explained that with the discovery of oil and gas in commercial quantities, the issue of security and safety could become critical, especially as the commodity would have to be exported and transported from one destination to the other.
Mrs Aryeetey emphasised that WISTA would help to promote the maritime industry and urged members to play their roles effectively for the growth and development of the industry .
The Deputy Minister of Transport, Mrs Dzifa Aku Attivor, commended the women for forming the association to bring players in the shipping industry together.
She said it was the desire of the government that the bond of unity among Ghanaian women would be extended to sister countries in the sub-region.
Mrs Attivor stressed that women today had more opportunities in all aspects of life including education, career development and business to improve their access to training, employment, social protection and better working conditions.
She encouraged them to be honest, diligent and hardworking to achieve their objectives.
The Director General of the Ghana Maritime Authority (GMA), Mr Isaac P. Azumah, congratulated the WISTA Ghana, and said the GMA had since its inception tried to promote gender equality in line with the Millennium Development Goals.
Mr Azumah was of the view that this had reflected in its recruitment policy of giving qualified women equal opportunity in the organisation and ensured that staff development was spread equally to equip both men and women to excel at their jobs.
He gave the assurance that the GMA would partner WISTA Ghana to promote the progress of women in the maritime industry to achieve the 2015 deadline of the millennium development goals .
Mr Azumah urged members to exhibit high levels of commitment to the association and keep abreast of various developments in the industry .
A Representative of WISTA International, Ms Dime Agboire, expressed happiness that women in the marine industry in Ghana had succeeded in forming an association and pledged to support it to make greater strides.
She said it was a landmark in the history of WISTA International and urged them to network, learn and share experiences to make the association grow.
The President of WISTA Nigeria, Mrs Ify Akerele, and other executives from Nigeria presented to the WISTA Ghana brochures and documents which would help them to build on their knowledge.
Other dignitaries at the function included the Minister for Women and Children, Mrs Juliana Azumah, the Director General of the Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority (GPHA) , Mr Nestor Galley, Chief Executive of the Ghana Shippers Authority, Mr Kofi Mbiah, and the Rector of the Regional Maritime University, Mr Enoch Asamoah.