The Women’s International Shipping and Trading Association (WISTA) Nigeria has said that the association would facilitate sponsorship of girls that showed interest in the seafaring profession. President of the association, Mrs. Jean Chiazor-Anishere, who made this known in Lagos, said that the association had issued scholarships to some female cadets of the Maritime Academy of Nigeria, Oron, Akwa Ibom, who excelled in their disciplines. “Apart from fi shing, we’ve keyed with what Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) is doing

in the seafaring aspect. We have mobilized some young girls actually, who are interested in the industry to come out (and) let us know who they are. Then we can speak to their governments to enlist them,” Chiazor-Anishere declared. According to her, last year, the association was able to issue scholarship to Maritime Academy, Oron’s female cadet offcers who have excelled in their various disciplines adding that “We took their applications, so that we could get them jobs because the big handicap is when they finish, they don’t have where to work.” Chiazor-Anishere said

the association had engaged the services of its past executive offcers at WISTA Diamond Forum in order to be more active and support the association to achieve its goals. She said that most Nigerian cadets were having problem of lack of sea time experience just as she commended an indigenous maritime firm which had continuously been engaging cadets from the Maritime Academy, Oron, on sea time experience. She urged indigenous shipping companies to assist Nigerian cadets to grow by engaging them on sea time experience.