Accra, Ghana: A symposium on women in maritime security under the theme “Harnessing women’s contributions to the Blue Economy in the Gulf of Guinea (GoG)” will be held in Cotonou, Benin from 19th to 20th July, 2023.
The Symposium, forms part of a series of policy dialogues under a 5 year project implemented by the KAIPTC and with funding support from the Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The five-year project on ‘Integrated Responses to Threats to Maritime Safety and Security in the Gulf of Guinea Maritime Domain in West and Central Africa (2022-2026)’ leverages on the experiences of the previous three-year project on enhancing regional research, capacity building and convening of stakeholders towards a safer maritime domain in the Gulf of Guinea (2019-2021).
The project seeks to provide a platform for maritime stakeholders in the GoG, including operational level actors in maritime security institutions, the private sector and civil society actors, to better understand the maritime security landscape, deepen their collaboration and coordination and pool individual and collective resources in efforts at strengthening maritime security in the GoG.
The objective of the 2 day symposium is to contribute to discourses aimed at enhancing women’s roles, participation and representation in decision making in the maritime economy. It will also look at opportunities for harnessing women’s participation and representation in promoting a safer and secure maritime space and enhancing their contributions to a sustainable blue economy.
Recommendations from the symposium in Cotonou will be used to engage policy makers and stakeholders to improve women’s participation in the maritime space, while seeking to provide a platform for stakeholders to understand gaps in women’s participation in various sectors of the blue economy and examine challenges to women’s meaningful integration in the maritime sector.