Kofi Ampeah Woode
The Kofi Annan International Peacekeeping Training Centre’s (KAIPTC) Policy Dialogue Series – Benin edition – under the 5-year project with Denmark, has successfully taken off with an objective to understand and harness women’s contributions in the maritime economy of the Gulf of Guinea (GoG).
The KAIPTC-organized Benin program took off in the form of a symposium from 19 to 20 July 2023, and is hosted by Benin’s Leadership of the Préfecture Maritime, at the Golden Tulip Hotel, in Cotonou, Benin, with participation from operational level actors in maritime security institutions, stakeholders in the private sector, and civil society actors.
Speaking at the conference on the opening day, the Commandant, KAIPTC – Major General (Maj Gen) Richard Addo Gyane, in setting the agenda for the meeting, asserted that while regional maritime frameworks generally remain gender neutral, emerging maritime security threats negatively affect women and their livelihoods, and it is important that women’s participation in the maritime sector, as well as their contributions to a sustainable blue economy, be recognized.
He said the maritime economy offers a range of opportunities for job creation, improved livelihoods and sustainable economic growth and development to populations across the region, however, the maritime sector has traditionally been a male dominated space, and in the GoG, women’s representation is generally low.
Policy discourses and actions around maritime security have so far remained gender neutral, General Gyane continued, overlooking the disparate impacts of maritime insecurities on women and men, hence, addressing maritime security challenges require a broad and inclusive approach; for a diverse gendered perspective in the maritime space, he said, provides a relative advantage to ensuring a safer and secure maritime domain.
He added that the symposium will provide the platform to share experiences on women’s participation in the maritime space; understand gaps and challenges to women’s participation in various sectors of the blue economy; and hopefully, make recommendations for harnessing women’s contributions towards promoting a safer and secure maritime space and a sustainable blue economy.
General Gyane expressed the expectation that, the key outcomes and recommendations from the conference will be used to engage policy makers and stakeholders, to improve women’s participation in the maritime space.
The Benin symposium forms part of the partnership between the Government of Denmark and the KAIPTC under the project ‘Integrated Responses to Threats to Maritime Safety and Security in the Gulf of Guinea Maritime Domain in West and Central Africa (2022-2026)’, it is also part of a number of dialogue series to be implemented under the project.
