40 more Indigenous women certified to work in maritime sector

A total of 40 Indigenous women from Regions Seven (Cuyuni-Mazaruni) and Nine (Upper Takutu-Upper Essequibo) are now equipped to work and enhance Guyana’s Maritime sector.
This was made possible through a fully-funded scholarship between the Office of the First Lady and the Atlantic Maritime and Offshore Training Institute (AAMOTI).
This aligns with the Guyana Government’s efforts to promote gender equality and empower all women and girls, which is a critical aspect of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals 2030.
As a result, the women were able to gain knowledge about technical procedures critical for Maritime preparedness and safety, including elementary first aid, firefighting, personal survival technique, personal safety and social responsibility, ship security awareness, and emotional intelligence training.
During her address at State House on Friday, First Lady Arya Ali lauded the women for completing the rigorous training, noting that the programme will position them to take up crucial roles in the sector.
On this point, she further disclosed that some 200 women will be trained through the institute by the end of 2024, as her office works to increase the number of women in the hard-scale workforce.

“Training like these is important because they serve a national purpose. You must also appreciate the fact that in coming years you will no longer be competing with Guyanese for specific categories of jobs because as our country becomes a more attractive place to live and work competition in the labour market will naturally increase. However, holding these regionally accredited certifications in two distinct areas of safety practices places you ahead of the curve,” the First Lady added.
On the other hand, Public Works Minister Bishop Juan Edghill commended the First Lady and her team for always spearheading the growth of women, especially those in far-flung communities.
According to Edghill, women made up 54 per cent of the local maritime sector and the People’s Progressive Party Civic (PPP/C) administration is committed to the advancement of said women.
In this regard, he encouraged them to use the training provided as a stepping stone into the industry and advance later on to prestige portfolios.
“This is just the beginning; the Madam First Lady has offered you an opportunity…. What you do with it from now on will be determined by you. There is still lots more to go and we look forward to seeing some of you as captains…we want to see some of you as engineers, we want to see you on board, we want to see you making a difference,” Edghill reassured.
Further, he added that the administration will also continue to break barriers that hinder the elevation of Indigenous people, especially as it relates to Maritime and Civil Aviation.
“Madam First Lady you’ll be pleased to know that with what you’re doing here may have been a specific move as well in the aviation sector to recruit people from the hinterland community to work in air navigational services as well… So, President Ali’s vision, the PPP/C’s administration vision of ensuring that we bridge the gap that exists between coastland and hinterland is being directly encouraged and moving in a good direction with what is happening here tonight,” he added.