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The Port Manager, Lagos Ports Complex of the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), Mr. Debo Lawal, has urged participants at the 6th annual Maritime Writes Project (MWP) Creative Writing Bootcamp to use their voices to promote Nigeria’s maritime and port sector as an industry that embraces inclusion.
Lawal, who was Special Guest of Honour at the Opening of the 2026 bootcamp at the Multi-Purpose Hall, Apapa Port, Lagos, encouraged participants to maximise the opportunity to highlight the growing participation of women in traditionally male-dominated maritime roles.
He noted that there are more than 10 female crane operators in Lagos port, alongside female tugboat pilots and numerous other women working across in the port.
According to him, the growing presence of women in operational and technical positions demonstrates that the maritime sector offers opportunities for women and should be portrayed as an inclusive industry.
Lawal formally opened the bootcamp, which brings together young writers, maritime stakeholders, academics and mentors under the theme, “Voyages Through Chokepoints: Power, Passage and Life at Sea.”
The Head of Faculty for the 2026 edition and Dean, Faculty of Arts, Adeleke University, Prof. Adegbite Tobalase, urged participants to use the bootcamp to develop their individual voices and understand the discipline required to produce original works.
“We welcome you not merely to a training programme, but to a mission: to grow literary talent through maritime storytelling, and to deepen Nigeria’s maritime consciousness through the power of the written word,” he said.
In his goodwill message, the Director, International Ocean Institute-Nigeria Centre (IOI-Nigeria), Mr. Akanbi Williams, commended MWP for combining creative writing with practical exposure to the maritime sector.
The Institute, which has partnered with MWP for five years, urged participants to “observe, listen, question, learn and write,” stressing the importance of looking beyond ships, ports and waterways to the people, communities and livelihoods connected to the maritime environment.
It said storytelling could help communicate maritime knowledge to wider audiences, particularly young Nigerians, while encouraging greater understanding of the sector and the blue economy.
Earlier, the Project Coordinator, Maritime Writes Project, Ezinne Azunna, said the initiative was designed to bridge creative writing and maritime awareness by exposing young writers to the realities of the sector.
She said participants would engage with maritime professionals, facilities and communities, enabling them to develop stories grounded in authentic industry experiences.
The 2026 theme draws attention to the significance of maritime chokepoints to global trade, diplomacy, economics and human activities. Mentorship sessions and facility tours are designed to help participants develop stories based on real maritime experiences.
For returning participants, the impact of MWP extends beyond creative writing.
One of the project’s alumni, Uche Ohiaeri, who returned for the 2026 edition, said her participation in the programme in 2022 transformed her confidence and broadened her interests from creative writing to environmental conservation and community development.
Ohiaeri recalled that she initially joined because she simply enjoyed writing, but the experience challenged her to ask deeper questions about the ocean, the environment and communities connected to them.
She subsequently became involved in conservation activities at her school, where she taught younger students, and eventually wrote her first book.
According to her, the programme gave her the confidence to explore opportunities she had not previously considered and showed her that creative writing could serve as an entry point into wider environmental and civic engagement.
The Maritime Writes Project has previously held sessions in Lagos, Osun and Rivers states and has produced three published anthologies featuring 17 stories by past participants.
The organisers noted that African writers remain significantly under-represented in maritime fiction and that MWP is encouraging a new generation of Nigerian writers to explore stories around the ocean, shipping, coastal communities and the blue economy.
The junior category of the 2026 cohort concluded its sessions on Wednesday, while senior participants are expected to continue with mentorship sessions, port facility tours and other activities during the week.
