-Felix Douglas
The Women in Maritime and Energy Award (WiME) was established to celebrate and spotlight exceptional achievement of women in these sectors. The aim is to highlight the leadership role in business success and to foster partnership and collaboration among women.
WiME believes in empowerment and economic opportunities, but when these are lacking, the nation does not progress.
The first edition started in 2022 and it sparked dialogue on gender diversity.
Speaking at WiME awards night, Tunbosun Afolayan, Executive Director of WiME explained to guests that it is a recognition platform for women and has about 300 industry leaders and stakeholders. It is not only recognizing women but also brings two big industries that are the power of global economy together. They provide services to each another.
Tunbosun was of the view that through WiME, partnership is being strengthened and promotion of leadership diversity. It showcases how women can transform the nation’s maritime and energy industries as vehicles for national progress. Women have ample opportunities going forward.
The WiME Awards was time to shine a spotlight on the remarkable achievements and contributions of women who are trailblazers in the twin industries of energy and maritime. Women who are breaking barriers, shattering glass ceilings and tearing the cause towards brighter future.
Honouring outstanding achievements of women who are pioneers in maritime and energy industries. It was a celebration of excellence, resilience and empowerment.
Deputy Director of Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), and Advisory Board Chairperson of WiME, Dr. Chizoba Ayinka, in her remarks said the event was not about celebration but recognizing women through innovation and level of impact of women in these industries.
Dr. Chizoba added that before the event, there were courtesy visits to collaborate which is key to progress and working together to create opportunities for women to thrive.
She appreciated members of the advisory board for their dedication and hard work behind the scenes; this has been instrumental in making the event and initiatives possible. Their unwavering commitments continue to shape the path forward for women in maritime and energy sectors.
Dr. Chizoba stated thus: “We are also looking ahead. There is still so much work to be done. We are expanding and growing actively seeking more collaborations and partners who share our vision and goal. Therefore, to build stronger networks, create more mentorship opportunities and push for policies that truly support women in maritime and energy. We want to work with organizations, industry leaders and policy makers who are ready to take action, not just in words, but in meaningful commitment.”
“We celebrate, collaborate and continue bridging barriers because the future of maritime and energy is female. Surely, the future for energy and maritime is female. Those in this room and we are unstoppable.”
In her keynote speech, Divisional Manager for Supply Chain and Procurement of Oando, Modupe Oyeneyin, briefly gave insight of the company that started as Unipetrol and was making waves in the downstream sector.
Oando went from 300 work-force to over 2000 and Oyeneyin was at supervisory capacity where she supervised 30 workers and gradually to over 200 people in her team.
She stated further that many organizations make great declarations on sustainability, innovation, equality and growth, but the real difference lies in execution.
Accelerating action means there is no need to wait for perfect condition pushing forward with clarity and conviction. “Every fall is a lesson and every rise is a step closer to success and a step closer to destiny.”
“As women professionals, we often stand at the intersection of vision and execution. A very common example is that a man dreams of having children and decides between his vision and execution that a woman comes to make it impactful.”
Women stand at the intersection of vision and execution and “our role in bridging the two is not just important but essential.” Accelerating action is a call to lead, to be bold, intentional and collaboration, Oyeneyin added.
“And when we speak about promise to progress is for accountability. It is time to declare what we want, and a time to deliver on what we declare.”
According to Oyeneyin, women in maritime and energy require bold step to close gap between potentials and performance.
She pointed out that Oando acquisition of Nigeria Agip Oil Company is one of the most transformational deals in Africa energy sector. It expanded its ownership of oil bloc OML 60 to 63 and positioned the company for full operations in the energy sector. The deal involved strategic alignments with required regulatory navigation.
It involved sleepless nights because it wasn’t easy.
“I remembered we will be in the board room for hours. When this was conceptualized, a lot of people laughed. You small Nigerian company, you think you will take over an IOC and we did.”
“As a Divisional Manager for Supply Chain and Procurement in Oando, I lead operations across the company oil and gas, clean energy, mining and infrastructure portfolio, I developed cost saving and optimization, risk mitigation, process improvement strategies to deliver complex drilling completion and logistics campaigns with accountability.
It was not a one man’s or woman’s job, it involved others and I had an inspiring support team to deliver.
Oyeneyin acknowledged that in the field of maritime and energy, every decision counts, there must be timeless safety and budget intercept. “We have embraced a culture of continuous improvement of agile thinking to keep pace with change. My greatest joy in all of this is actually developing people, mentoring, coaching and applying tough love to transform careers and drive sustainable supporting desired success.
There are women who are doing great things, but are not known and there is need to connect and collaborate with open mindedness.
Some women have bucket of ideas but keep to themselves and remain silent. “Accelerating action means we no longer wait for perfect conditions. It’s about pushing forward with clarity and conviction.”
Women should be the exception even though it is often said they usually prevent others from making progress.
In accelerating action and having promise delivered, Oyeneyin advised women to be focused, intentional, deliberate and committed. “One of the things I say to women, don’t throw your feminity away. If people will not give you a seat, bring your own table. Sit on it and be the change, accelerate actions and deliver progress. Let’s not just talk about progress, become the progress. It is time and now is the time to accelerate”
The presentation of awards commenced with diamond category. The rising star in the maritime industry was won by Joy Dimka, a maritime lawyer; Dr. Nosa Omorodion of Schlumberger won the he for she ambassador award for his contributions, impact, growth and support for women in the energy industry.
Dr. Amina Danmadami, Country Chair, SPE Nigeria Council won outstanding woman in upstream and midstream award. Outstanding power generation company awards went to Dr. Joy Ogaji, while outstanding woman in renewable sector was won by Dr. Habiba Ali of Sosai Energy. Funmi Ogbe won outstanding woman in Energy Local Content award category. Dr. Vicky Haastrup won award as a trailblazer in the maritime industry.
Olajumoke Ajayi, CEO of Ingentia Energy and president elect of Nigerian Association of Petroleum Explorationists (NAPE), won outstanding woman in energy category. Also, Oritsemeyiwa Eyesan, former Executive Vice President (EVP), Upstream at Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Ltd won Life Time achievement Award. There were many other awards won by women in maritime and energy industries.
Speaking after receiving her award, Eyesan said she ended her career in NNPC on a bright note as the first woman to be head of strategy planning and EVP Upstream. In her words: “This couldn’t have been possible if not for women who stood and insisted for equality and reward for hard work. “For women, the journey has just begun. We must help each other and continue to collaborate and believe that we will continue to win many more victories in these challenging sectors, maritime and energy industries. She thanked her family for the support given to her during three decades of career in the energy sector.”
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