The President, Women International Shipping and Trading Association (WISTA, Nigeria), Mrs Mary Hamman, said on Wednesday that the association would use its platform to rebrand the Nigerian maritime industry internationally.
This is contained in a statement made available to newsmen in Lagos by the General Secretary of the association, Anna Akpan.
The statement noted that the newly elected WISTA Nigeria President made the remark at the general meeting and end of the year party of the association.
“We want to gain the confidence of the international society by letting them know that Nigeria has all the resources and all the maritime jobs.
“They can come to Nigeria to establish and do business with Nigerians. So, when going for all those international conferences, we will make sure that we explain the security situation in Nigeria to them.
“That Nigeria is conducive for them to come and invest and all what they have been hearing are all propaganda and have nothing to do with where the real business is,” she said.
Regarding her elevation from the post of vice-president to that of president of the association, Hamman said she had been there all along and had held so many positions in WISTA.
“I have seen where WISTA is heading to with my wealth of experience. I believe that with me at the helm of affairs and with the support of members of the association, we are moving to greater heights.
“My mandate is to be able to bring together all women in the maritime industry and harness their experiences,” she said.
Hamman urged members to try and network with each other by letting people know what the association is doing in order to gain from each other’s experience.
“We also need to mentor the younger ones so that they can pick up from where we are going to leave off to ensure continuity, so that we can have some impact on the maritime industry,” she said.
She urged members to cooperate with the new executives for the growth of the association, adding that members should not hesitate to call the executives to order if they are not moving in the right direction.
She said that by so doing, members could collectively achieve the vision of WISTA.
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