*As Anishere Doles Out N2m
As part of its efforts to strengthen livelihoods and expand economic opportunities in Nigeria’s coastal communities, Women in Maritime (WIMA) Nigeria has donated two fishing boats and fishing nets to members of Tomaro riverine community in Lagos.
WIMA Nigeria made the intervention during its community empowerment outreach at Tomaro, Araromi Onisiwo, Lagos State.
Explaining the rational for the donation, WIMA Nigeria President, Mrs. Theodora Nwaeze said the initiative reflected the organisation’s commitment to ensuring that coastal communities are not left behind in the growth of Nigeria’s blue economy.
According to Nwaeze, WIMA Nigeria’s administration is anchored on four key pillars. These are empowerment, innovation, collaboration and national visibility which the outreach was designed to translate into practical action.
She explained that the association is committed to strengthening women and communities with opportunities capable of improving livelihoods and economic participation, while promoting sustainable approaches to fisheries, food processing and other blue economy activities.
In her address to the women and youths in the community, she encouraged them not see themselves merely as beneficiaries but as partners in the development of Nigeria’s blue economy.
Her words: “We believe that when we empower a woman, we strengthen a family. When we strengthen a community, we strengthen the nation.”
The WIMA President thanked the community, partners and stakeholders who contributed to the outreach, reaffirming the organisation’s commitment to building bridges, creating opportunities and amplifying the voices of women in Nigeria’s coastal communities.
Erstwhile Continental President of African Women in Maritime (WIMA) and inaugural President of WIMA Nigeria, Chief (Mrs.) Jean Chiazor Anishere, SAN, in her keynote address, described the donation as more than the presentation of productive assets.
Anishere who is the inaugural President of WIMA Nigeria stated that the donation represented an investment in people, livelihoods and the future of riverine communities.
The learned silk who is presently the President of the Maritime Arbitrators Association of Nigeria (MAAN), declared that “empowerment is not charity; empowerment is economic development.”
Anishere averred that she would deploy the influence and opportunities associated with her status as a SAN to support development initiatives in the riverine community.
According to her, the boats and fishing equipment could create employment, improve household incomes and strengthen the wider fisheries value chain.
She enjoined the beneficiaries to operate the boats safely, maintain them properly and embrace sustainable fishing practices even as she called for further complementary interventions such as modern fishing training, safety equipment, access to affordable finance and insurance, improved fish storage and processing facilities, market access and infrastructure to ensure that the intervention produces sustainable economic impact.
In an apparent way of showing that her admonitions are not empty words, she donated N2 million to support the community.
The MAAN President used the occasion to called on government and maritime stakeholders to improve landing sites, roads, electricity, water, healthcare and security in fishing communities.
She stressed that Nigeria’s blue economy ambitions must extend beyond ports and boardrooms to the people whose livelihoods depend directly on the country’s waters.
In his remarks, the President of the Modern Crayfish Fishermen Cooperative Multipurpose Society Limited, Hon. Ben Mosan, commended WIMA for its commitment to empowering women and transforming fishing communities, saying the cooperative was interested in deepening collaboration with the organisation.
Mosan identified skills and entrepreneurship development as a major area for partnership, particularly through financial support and business training that could help more women achieve financial independence and build sustainable livelihoods in the maritime sector.
He also called for collaboration in health and wellness education, noting that access to accurate information and preventive care was vital to keeping women healthy and economically productive.
Mosan emphasised the importance of leadership and advocacy, saying the cooperative wanted to support initiatives that would equip women to speak, lead and influence decisions in their homes, workplaces and communities.
He expressed the readiness of the cooperative society to work with WIMA in building the next generation of female leaders and expanding opportunities for women across fishing and maritime communities.
