Managing Director, Lagos Deep Offshore Logistics base (LADOL), Dr. Amy Jadesimi has called on government at all levels to evolve policies that would encourage more participation of women in the nations vast maritime and the oil and gas sectors.
Jadesimi stated this in a keynote address at the annual conference of the Society of Petroleum Engineers (SPE), held in Lagos.
Delivering her address which titled, “Exploring Opportunities for Female Entrepreneurs in the Oil and Gas Sector-Now is the Time”, the LADOL boss noted that the role of women in nations’ building globally has become paramount; urging government to step up affirmative action to bring more women into critical ventures.
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She noted specifically that the level of women involvement in the maritime as well as the oil and gas sector has been very significant, despite the low level of participation compared to the apparent dominance by the male counterparts.
Her words: “Women have contributed to the development of the sector in very significant ways which is disproportionate to their representation. They (women) are poorly represented, but the few ones around have distinguished themselves.”
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She counseled government to leverage on the encouraging performance of the few ones in the sector by evolving deliberate policies and programmes that could encourage the advent of more women into the critical sector and beyond.
“First of all, government needs to highlight the importance of women in the society in general. One way to do this is to focus more on women empowerment programmes for sustainable development,” she said
“In addition, government can encourage companies that have diversities and even going as far as to have tax rates…even going so far as to have scholarships and sponsorships for women in certain critical areas of economic importance that are focused on nation building,” she pleaded.
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“Women education is very important at the same time; government can encourage that institution to enable women to be educated. You need to make sure that you do not fund organizations that discriminate against women in any form” she added.
Jadesimi also called on government to similarly find ways of encouraging some specific organizations and financial institutions, to educate women and promote them into leadership positions in order to check the apparent “male dominance in the board rooms.”
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