Ocean Ambassadors is a dynamic non-profit in Nigeria promoting ocean literacy and interest in maritime professions with focus on young minds. They invited Mundus maris Vice President Prof. Stella Williams to join as speaker in a webinar on 25 July 2020 as a first step to develop mutually beneficial collaboration.
The webinar focused on this year's UN motto for World Ocean Day "Innovation for a sustainable ocean" and was specifically convened for this year's African Union Day for Seas and Oceans. Among the distinguished speakers were:
Dr. Kayode Olubiyi, Senior Lecturer, Federal College of Fisheries & Marine Technology, Victoria Island, Lagos
Dr. Alban Igwe, Director, Council for the Regulation of Freight Forwarding in Nigeria
Barr Mrs Jean Chiazor – Anishere, Continental President, Women in Maritime (Africa)
Hon. Violet Williams, Founder, Ocean Ambassadors Foundation
Prof. Stella Williams, Vice President, Mundus maris asbl. She shared the information on relevant activities documented in our website and emphasized key projects and actions carried out in the last 10 years. Among these were youth contests to mark World Ocean Day (WOD) celebrated annually on June 8. Unfortunately, in 2020 the Covid-19 pandemic made the typical celebrations of WOD impossible.
Instead, where possible, Mundus maris practiced solidarity with schools by providing safety kits composed of face masks and handwashing containers. The Cameroons and Senegal as well as the Group in Federal University of Technology in Akure, Ondo State Nigeria have thus responded creatively to the crisis. Hoping that educational establishments can reopen at least partially for the new term, they are all invited to participate in the development of the Book of the Marine World as the alternative later in the year.
She encouraged participants to visit MM's website for more detailed information about its programme and actions. This included work in support of implementing the Sustainable Development Goals, notably SDG 14.B on the Voluntary Guidelines to Ensure Sustainable Small-Scale (SSF) Fisheries through the SSF Academy in Senegal. Through participatory learning workshops Mundus maris is empowering women, youth and other stakeholders in SSF to improve their livelihoods, protect and use the ocean in respectful ways.
Moderator of the webinar was Mrs. Naa Densua Aryeetey, Head, Shippers Services, Ghana Shippers Authority, Wista International Executive Director for African Region.
Hon. Violet Williams is the CEO of VOW Ventures Ltd which is a career development partner in the 3T domain (Transportation, Trade & Tourism), the major sector of the global economy and employer. She is the Convener of Ocean Ambassador Club in Secondary Schools in Lagos State.
On behalf of the entire Ocean Ambassadors team, she wrote to express the heartfelt appreciation for Stella Williams' intervention during the ocean Ambassadors conversation for sharing her wealth of knowledge and experience.