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KEPSA LEADERS ENGAGE WITH AMBASSADOR NANCY KARIGITHU ON THE 'ADOPT A SHIP' INITIATIVE
- Published On: 2024-02-20
KEPSA Education and Mining Sector Boards leaders on 20th February 2024 met with Special Advisor & Envoy to the Office of the President Ambassador Nancy Karigithu to explore opportunities within the ‘Adopt A ship’ (AAS) Initiative. The project aims to create awareness on the opportunities at sea for students from the basic education level to higher institutions of learning. The KEPSA delegation was led by the Deputy CEO, Mr. Victor Ogalo.
Ambassador Karigithu, in her remarks, began by highlighting the existing knowledge gap among Kenyan Youth on the opportunities in the Maritime Industry. Building on this, she stated that this gap as well as the limited investment in the sector is a hinderance to Kenya’s ability to leverage on the vast employment opportunities at sea, potentially totaling over 20 million jobs. She further, iterated the importance of early sensitization through the AAS Initiative, which is essential in addressing both the knowledge and gender diversity gaps. As she concluded, she recommended integrating the initiative into the curriculum as a valuable education and awareness-creation tool.
The meeting highlighted the following;
- The huge maritime domain in Kenya that presently creates job opportunities for 3,000 youth, with the potential of employing 10,000 youth annually. Furthermore, they provide for enhancement and cultivation of sea-related skills, offering youth opportunities for skill advancement.
- Insufficient investment and development initiatives within the maritime industry significantly impede the career progression of youth who have pursued career paths within the maritime field.
- There is need for the development and implementation of a competency-based maritime curriculum that would enable students develop practical skills in addition to their theoretical knowledge.
- Urgent action is imperative in response to the potential global shortage of maritime manpower, stemming from the current shift towards water transportation as a greener alternative attributable to climate change.
In his remarks, Mr. Ogalo expressed his gratitude to the Ambassador and the KEPSA leadership for their commitment and efforts in providing thought leadership that fosters job creation. He underscored the prompt need to explore these opportunities within the Maritime sector to accelerate job creation, thereby supporting Kenya’s Economic Recovery Agenda and enhancing global competitiveness. He further shared his optimism on the effectiveness of the AAS Initiative in raising awareness on maritime employment opportunities and welcomed future partnerships that would foster growth within the sector.
The meeting concluded with a call to action to lobby for the development and implementation of a competency-based maritime curriculum and initiate activities and programs within the education sector that would bridge the existing academia-industry knowledge gap thus facilitating job creation.