The Chief Justice, Justice Gertrude Torkornoo, has urged players in the maritime industry to harness more professional women into leadership positions.
She said this would correct the long held perception that the industry had been a male-dominated one.
The CJ made the advocacy in a speech read on her behalf by an Appeal Court Judge, Justice Sophia Rosetta Bernasko-Essah, at a seminar of the network for Professional Women in the Maritime and Ports of West and Central Africa which was held in Tema on Tuesday.
It had the theme: “Ports facing challenges of sustainable development: Status and prospects.”
The CJ noted that although women had made strives into leadership positions in the maritime industry, there was the need for improvement.
“I’m reliably informed that one of our own here in Ghana, Mrs Esther Gyebi-Donkor, who is the General Manager in charge of Marketing at the Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority (GPHA) for several years was the vice president for this network and virtually became its president before handing over.
She said Ghana was widely known as a major player in the international ports and maritime space, producing key figures for international organisations, such as the International Maritime Organisation (IMO), and the Ports Management Association of West and Central Africa.
According to the CJ, the country also produced the first black chairman of the Legal Committee of the IMO, in the person of Mr Emmanuel Kofi Mbiah.
She said, the progress to have women in key positions was encouraging, adding that, “Ghana has great women who have blazed the trail and earned for themselves the recognition by occupying key positions.”
In an address read on behalf of the Minister of Transport, Mr Kwaku Ofori Asiamah, by his deputy, Mr Frederick Adom, he lauded the incredible hard working women in the maritime industry that had been male-dominated.
He noted that the sector had been characterised by culture and infrastructure that perpetuated gender disparity.
According to the minister, despite these obstacles, women had persevered, charting a path for themselves, breaking barriers and achieving excellence in the sector.
Mr Asiamah said “there had been stories of female captains fearlessly navigating vessels through treacherous waters.
“That of female engineers designing cutting-edge port infrastructure and logistics experts ensuring the free flow of goods.”
He therefore urged the women to be role models, inspiring young girls and women to pursue careers in the maritime sector.
He stressed that port digitalisation had propelled the industry into a new era of efficiency, security and sustainability.
“It had further up technologies such as block chain and automation, streamlined processes, reduced paper work and enhanced traceability of goods throughout the supply chain.
The Director General of GPHA, Mr Michael Achagwe Luguji, said his outfit was implementing best practices aimed at sustainable growth while minimising negative environmental impacts.
According to him, the GHPA was collaborating with other private stakeholders in cleaning the country’s coastline of debris to keep sailing vessels safe.
He announced that the Authority planted over thousand tree seedlings in an efforts to regenerate the vegetation in and around the ports environment.
FROM IAN MOTEY, TEMA
