Considering the third Millennium Development Goal which was adopted by the international communityin 2000, recommending that our governments

Mindful that the maritime and port environment is a milieu in which enormous efforts remain to be made in order to achieve this objective and to promote the“Gender and Development’’ policy,

A group of professional women in the maritime and port sector from the Port Management Association of West and Central Africa (PMAWCA) representing the member countries,created the Network of Professional Women in Maritime and Port sectors of West and Central Africa (NPWMP-WCA) to promote and spread this vision of equity and unity in this sector through the perfect integration of women with respect for their cultural identity. This Network was formed in January 2007.

This network, born out of a real desire for  women to participate in the development of Africa with their intellectual capabilities in the same capacity with their male colleagues, strives towards being “a driving force for the development of port and maritime activities in West and Central Africa”

Our main objective is therefore to strengthen our management capacity.

Ten years after, there has been a lot of progress and work done. We are increasingly seeing the progression of women into key positions in their respective countries.

We’ve had women ministers, women CEOs, to name just a few of these strategic positions.

This record, while satisfactory, urges us to intensify our efforts to make women more responsible as regard their qualities.

Finally, my dream is that the woman will flourish in her profession, her family life and cohabit in harmony with the men folk in their professional environment.

I would like to thank all our Managing Directors for their support and request them to always support women in their development and in their quest to improve.

Long live the NPWMP-WCA for the total development of our countries from the maritime and port sector!!!

F. GUIHARD-KOIDIO