Ten aspiring indigenous young women have been awarded scholarships to pursue specialised training in the maritime sector, signalling a significant step toward gender equality in one of the world’s most male-dominated industries.
The scholarships, which will support training in maritime navigation and engineering, are the result of a collaboration between the Office of the First Lady and Tidewater Inc.
Speaking at the simple award ceremony, First Lady Arya Ali hailed the initiative for its potential to bridge the knowledge gap by stating:
“This programme ensures that women from our hinterland regions particularly our indigenous women have access to the same kind of academic and training opportunities that those of us on the coastland usually have…these ten young people are among the first set of trailblazers who will reshape this industry in profound ways,“ the First Lady said.
The first lady highlighted that women account for just one per cent of the world’s seafarers. This, she noted, is according to the 2024 Women in Maritime Survey by the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) and the Women’s International Shipping and Trading Association.
Mrs Ali said the programme is a landmark example of corporate social responsibility as she emphasised, “This investment by Tidewater in our country’s human resources could not come at a better time, given the rapid expansion of the maritime sector.”
The three-year programme will see the scholars trained at AA Maritime, Guyana’s only IMO-accredited maritime institute and one of just two in the entire Caribbean and Latin America.
The institution is a key partner in the initiative, alongside the Office of the First Lady, the Guyana Online Academy of Learning (GOAL), and the American Caribbean Maritime Foundation (ACMF).
Additionally, Minister of Public Works, Bishop Juan Edghill, was also present at the momentous event, praising the initiative’s significance for national and inclusive development:
“The uniqueness of the occasion is the involvement and engagement of indigenous women because it is not just about women…when you can see women moving from a village to state house with an opportunity to study where the sky becomes the limit it is a clear case that government’s policies and partnership has bridge that divide and we are making the society more equal,” he emphasised.
President, CEO and Director of Tidewater Incorporated, Quintin Kneen, said the initiative aligns with its mission to support the country’s transformation through education.
Meanwhile, the first lady and Tidewater president signed a cooperation framework for a continued partnership that will give young Guyanese access to more educational opportunities.
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