Womesa-Seychelles members reflect on successes at fifth anniversary ceremony |18 October 2022

Members of the association in a souvenir photograph with guests during the meet-and-greet event

To commemorate its fifth anniversary, the Association of Women in the Maritime Sector in the Eastern and Southern Africa Region (Womesa-Seychelles) on Saturday organised a meet and greet activity for its members.

The aim of the activity organised in collaboration with the high commission of Sri Lanka in Seychelles was for the members to understand and learn more about each other and also on the role of the stakeholders and government.  

The event took place at the residence of the high commissioner of Sri Lanka for Seychelles, Srimal Wickremasinghe, at North East Point.

Before the meet and greet in the afternoon, the Womesa members led by chairperson Dericka Figaro, were engaged in team building activity in the morning where they got to understand and learn more about each other and on the role of Womesa.

They also took some time to reflect on the work that has been done by the association in the past half-decade, since its inception in 2017, which include educational visits on board shipping vessels to provide access for young female learners of the Seychelles Maritime Academy to maintain a career path in the maritime industry, collaborating with the blue economy department for an event with primary school students to stimulate interest in the maritime field, participation of Womesa-Seychelles in the first African Shipowners Association Summit in 2018, advocating for gender equity in the maritime sector and the integration of women in maritime activities and in professional development programmes and academic courses among others. They also went over projects planned ahead.

Present to meet up with the Womesa-Seychelles members, after a special lunch for the occasion hosted by HC Wickremasinghe, were chief of defence forces, Brigadier Michael Rosette; chief of staff of defence forces, Jean Attala; judge Fiona Robinson; Attorney General Frank Ally, chief executive of the Seychelles Maritime Safety Authority, Joachim Valmont; members of the National Assembly among other distinguished guests.

In his welcoming remarks, HC Wickremasinghe said our country, being a small developing island, with the maritime sector being one of the pillars of the economy, should place the same emphasis on the development of women’s role in the sector.

He added that the contributions by women in the maritime sector towards the development of the blue economy is uppermost to the country’s future growth of the maritime sector.

HC Wickremasinghe stated that despite the sector being traditionally a male-dominated work environment, some women have reached managerial positions and have performed as remarkably.

He noted that we should value our women and continue to encourage them by giving them equal opportunities to contribute at all levels.

HC Wickremasinghe added that he decided to collaborate with Womesa-Seychelles after taking into account that the association is working hard for the advancement of women in society, something he also believes in.

On her part, the vice-chairperson of the association, Emily Gonthier, said in the spirit of leaving no one behind, the association strives to adhere to the sustainable development goal (SDG) 5 on the attainment of gender equality in the maritime sector.

She noted that achieving the above-stated goal will not be possible without the support of their stakeholders and most importantly the support of government.

She noted that Womesa-Seychelles stands today as a proud advocate for women in the maritime sector through which the fruition of their hard work is more than ever visible. She thanked HC Wickremasinghe for his hospitality.

The meet and greet event ended with a cake-cutting to commemorate the fifth anniversary of Womesa-Seychelles which was followed by surprise performances by Telsy and Jahkim.

Womesa-Seychelles is made up of professionals from the Seychelles Maritime Safety Authority, Seychelles Ports Authority, Ministry of Transport, Ministry of Fisheries and Blue Economy, Foreign Affairs department, Environment department, judiciary, Seychelles Fishing Authority, Seychelles Defence Forces and shipping companies among others.

The Association for Women in the maritime Sector in the Eastern and Southern Africa Region (Womesa) was formed as a regional organisation under the aegis of the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) to promote women’s access to quality employment and opportunities in key decision-making positions within the maritime industry.

Patrick Joubert