A member of the Governing Board of the Council for the Regulation of Freight Forwarding in Nigeria (CRFFN), Princess Chi Ezeh has commended the International Maritime Organization (IMO) for its decision to designate May 18th as a day to celebrate women in maritime globally, adding that more women will be encouraged to participate in the sector.
Princess Chi Ezeh, who was speaking with The News Diet, noted that women naturally like to be celebrated and appreciated and IMO’s gesture will go a long way to convince more women to venture into various aspects of maritime.
Speaking on the opportunities for women in freight forwarding, Chi Ezeh argued that women are better managers of human and fiscal resources which is an important trait of a good freight forwarder.
Chi Ezeh, who is the only woman on the CRFFN Governing Council, said she was not comfortable as the only female on the board because the industry is large enough to provide more women needed for balance on the CRFFN board.
Her words: “Women are better managers. I think setting aside a day to celebrate women in maritime is a very good avenue to encourage more women to join the industry because as a woman, I like to be celebrated. I know other women will also like to be celebrated. It’s a very good idea and a welcome development.”
While encouraging women to pursue professional careers in the maritime industry, Chi Ezeh admonished young ladies not to be contented as Administrative Secretaries and Personal Assistants, but strive to be the best in various professional fields.
She opined that members of CRFFN Governing Council would attempt to create a special window for women to go for trainings and get knowledge that will equip them to be successful freight forwarders.
“When I joined the industry, nobody accepted to train. I’ll attribute my getting to this level is an act of God. The people that I planned to understudy did not have the time to train me. I had to leave them and look for someone else that didn’t even know me to put me through. I went for lectures and trainings because I knew that I had to train myself.”
“I am just advising the women to be hardworking, stand up on their own and go for what they want rather than fold their hands and assume that they will not make it in a male dominated environment. If they are being trained, they will be exposed to the enormous opportunities in the freight forwarding profession,” she said.
Princess Ezeh is also the Managing Director of Muna-Sylver Nigeria Limited and she scored the highest votes in the recently concluded CRFFN Governing Board elections.
By Kenneth Jukpor
