Chairman, Board of Trustees, Women in Maritime, and Energy Awards, Dr. Mrs. Chizoba C. Anyika, has appealed to stakeholders, governments, regulators, and investors to adopt a new compass that points toward inclusive leadership, sustainable innovation, and generational investment in women.

In a goodwill message delivered at the Women in Maritime and Shipping Conference 2025, themed Charting New Waters: Women Steering Progress in Maritime and Shipping, Dr. Anyika maintained that women have proven their worth in the maritime industry by designing vessels and managing ports.

She added that it is no longer a surprise that Nigerian women are making waves in the maritime and shipping sectors, pointing out that their exploits in the industry have proven beyond doubt that where opportunity meets competence, women rise.

“For centuries, the narrative of maritime has been dominated by men, but women have always been part of this story. The question is no longer whether women can steer progress, but whether the maritime sector is ready to be steered toward progress at all,” she said.

WIME chairman urged the government and other stakeholders to revive maritime career visibility through school curricula, scholarships, vocational training, mentorship, and university-industry partnerships.

She lamented that women contribute just 2% of the world’s seafarers, while fewer than 1% hold executive decision-making roles in shipping

She posited that the time has come for stakeholders to come up with gender-sensitive maritime training colleges and port safety protocols designed with women in mind after the International Maritime Lecturers Association highlighted the critical shortage of female maritime instructors, naval architects, engineers, and port executives.

Dr. Anyika stated in clear terms that the birth of the Women in Maritime and Energy Awards Initiative creates visibility, amplifies role models, archives legacies, and most importantly gives women new hope that their sacrifice and efforts in the sector will not go unnoticed

”I urge us to be audacious in policy, intentional in partnerships, and courageous in action. Let us not only dream of a future where women lead in maritime,” she concluded