Writers urged to promote inclusive maritime sector

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Participants at the 6th Annual Maritime Writes Project Creative Writing Bootcamp have been advised to use their voices to promote Nigeria’s maritime and port sector as an industry that embraces inclusion.

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The Port Manager of the Lagos Ports Complex, Nigerian Ports Authority, Mr Debo Lawal, made the call at the opening of the 2026 bootcamp at Apapa Port, Lagos, where he served as the Special Guest of Honour.

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Lawal encouraged participants to maximise the opportunity to highlight the growing participation of women in traditionally male-dominated maritime roles, according to a statement obtained by The PUNCH.

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The bootcamp, which was themed ‘Voyages Through Chokepoints: Power, Passage and Life at Sea’, brought together young writers, maritime stakeholders, academics and mentors.

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He noted that more than 10 women operate cranes at the Lagos port, while female tugboat pilots and many other women also occupy various roles across the port.

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“The growing presence of women in operational and technical positions demonstrates that the maritime sector offers opportunities for women and should be portrayed as an inclusive industry,” he advised.

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Earlier, the Head of Faculty for the 2026 edition and Dean, Faculty of Arts, Adeleke University, Prof. Adegbite Tobalase, urged participants to use the bootcamp to develop their individual voices and understand the discipline required to produce original works.

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“We welcome you not merely to a training programme, but to a mission: to grow literary talent through maritime storytelling, and to deepen Nigeria’s maritime consciousness through the power of the written word,” he said.

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In his goodwill message, a Director at the International Ocean Institute-Nigeria Centre, Mr Akanbi Williams, commended MWP for combining creative writing with practical exposure to the maritime sector.

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He urged participants to “observe, listen, question, learn and write,” stressing the importance of looking beyond ships, ports and waterways to the people, communities and livelihoods connected to the maritime environment.

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Williams said storytelling could help communicate maritime knowledge to wider audiences, particularly young Nigerians, while encouraging greater understanding of the sector and the blue economy.

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The Project Coordinator, Maritime Writes Project, Ezinne Azunna, said the initiative was designed to bridge creative writing and maritime awareness by exposing young writers to the realities of the sector.

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She said participants would engage with maritime professionals, facilities and communities, enabling them to develop stories grounded in authentic industry experiences.

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One of the project’s alumni, Uche Ohiaeri, who returned for the 2026 edition, said her participation in the programme in 2022 transformed her confidence and broadened her interests from creative writing to environmental conservation and community development.

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Ohiaeri recalled that she initially joined because she simply enjoyed writing, but the experience challenged her to ask deeper questions about the ocean, the environment and communities connected to them.

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She subsequently became involved in conservation activities at her school, where she taught younger students, and eventually wrote her first book.

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The Maritime Writes Project has previously held sessions in Lagos, Osun and Rivers states and has produced three published anthologies featuring 17 stories by past participants. The organisers noted that African writers remain significantly under-represented in maritime fiction and that MWP is encouraging a new generation of Nigerian writers to explore stories around the ocean, shipping, coastal communities and the blue economy.

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