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Captain Georgina Jopap, a retired female captain and a Maritime Safety and Security Consultant, has acknowledged that the maritime industry has evolved over the years to recognise women’s contributions.
Captain Jopap said, “There has been a lot of inclusivity for women in the maritime industry. Younger women are being recruited by the institutions; more women are going into the sciences and technical institutions.” She said this at a Ghana Ports and Harbour Authority’s (GPHA) media forum on the theme “Accelerating Action: Women Driving Change in Ghana’s Maritime Industry.”
She noted that the evolution could also be attributed to a lot of women becoming mentors for the younger ladies and parents coming to the realisation that their daughters could enter any profession of their choice. Captain Jopap added that social media had also helped in some way, as the young ladies could see happenings elsewhere and how women were excelling in male-dominated fields such as maritime Industry.
“A lot of affirmative actions and policies have also been put in place encouraging younger women in all fields of work. It has brought the increase and awareness for young ladies to venture into this arena,” she said. She said unlike in the past when a girl’s career path could be influenced by relatives and friends, currently most parents were enlightened and could support their girls’ decisions.
She encouraged young ladies and girls not to fear venturing into any field, emphasising that “the only specific job for a man that women cannot do is to be a husband and a father; aside from that, any other job, we can do it. You just have to have a good mindset and learn the trade.” Captain Jopap urged women in leadership positions not to look at their gender but rather to sit at the table with the men, keeping in mind their titles and what it meant.
Sharing her career story as one of Ghana’s pioneering female captains, she said she went to sea because there was an affirmative action request in 1976 when an advert was put out in the dailies requesting young female science students to apply to the Nautical College.
“It was the first of its kind, and my family, teachers, and friends encouraged me to apply, being the only science student in my class by then. The family agreed that I should go; if it doesn’t go well, I can go back and enter university since I was young.” She added that she grew up in Sekondi, where her school was closer to the sea, and therefore could see the ships, stating, however, that before seeing that advert, she had no inclination to go to sea because back then it was a male-dominated field.
Captain Jopap further noted, “But I agreed to take a chance knowing that it was a pioneering position for young ladies and we were going to break barriers. I looked at shattering the glass ceilings, and it gave me confidence.” Touching on how she managed with her male colleagues, she said because she grew up with male cousins and brothers and knew she had the ability to do well like them, stressing that “they could not intimidate me and I also have the advantage of being intelligent.”
She indicated that she was never molested by her male colleagues, whom she disclosed rather encouraged her to reach her dreams, adding that the feeling of making it to be a role model to other ladies also propelled her on. “The first time I got to Hamburg port, as well as America, and you have media coming to see that there are young girls on the ship and interviewing us brought some little pride in me. Also, the challenge to succeed, as all these people were looking up to you, pushed me on,” Captain Jopap revealed.
Source: GNA
