A two horse race for top IMO position

Candidates announced for Secretary General position

There is a high possibility that this year’s International Maritime Organisation’s (IMO) election for a new Secretary General could result in a first for women as three of the seven candidates are female, but whether it will also be a first for Africa is hard to say. Nevertheless I am fairly confident in calling a two-horse race for the top position at the upcoming IMO election in July this year.

By Colleen Jacka, Editor of Maritime Review Africa

The election is due to take place on 18 July at the IMO headquarters in London and includes candidates from Bangladesh, Turkey, Panama, Dominica, Kenya, Finland and China.

Africa’s hope of seeing Nancy Karigithu of Kenya become the first woman and first African to take up the role will come up against strong competition – especially from Dr Cleopatra Doumbia-Henry (Dominica) who has recently finished her term as the President of the World Maritime University where she carved out an international presence for herself.

Minna Kivimäki (Finland) is the third woman on the list of candidates. She is currently the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Transport and Communications of Finland.

In my opinion, the race to become the first women to take up the position of Secretary General of IMO is between Karigithu and Doumbia-Henry. Both women have high profiles in the international world of maritime and have served in numerous relevant positions. In addition, both have a long track record of decades in the sector.

Karigithu is currently the Principal Secretary, State Department for Shipping and Maritime in the Ministry of Transport, Infrastructure, Housing, Urban Development and Public Works for the government of Kenya. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in law from the University of Nairobi and a master’s degree in International Maritime law from the IMO International Maritime Law Institute, Malta.

She has experience in both the private and public sector having established her own law firm as well as having been appointed as the Director General and Chief Executive of the Kenya Maritime Authority. She is also a former chairperson of the Association for Women in the Maritime Sector in Eastern and Southern Africa (WOMESA).

Having represented Kenya in maritime meetings and served as the Chairperson of IMO’s Technical Cooperation Committee, Karigithu is no stranger to the inner workings of the international body. For good measure she is also a member of the Board of Governors of the World Maritime University (WMU).

As the past president of the WMU, Dr Doumbia-Henry is also of course highly established within the maritime sector and is likely to garner significant support at the election. Before joining the WMU, she had made a name for herself as the Director of the International Labour Standards Department of the International Labour Organisation (ILO) in Geneva, Switzerland where she was responsible for developing ILO Maritime Labour Convention, 2006.

She too has experience of working with the IMO having led the ILO participation in a number of IMO/ILO interagency collaborations on several issues of common interest.

Her qualifications include Barrister at Law and Solicitor, and she is entitled to practice in all English-speaking Caribbean jurisdictions and is a Member of the Inner Temple, Inns of Court, United Kingdom. She holds:

a Masters of Law from the University of the West Indies;
a Masters in International Law from the Graduate Institute of International Studies, University of Geneva;
a Doctorate in International Law from the University of Geneva and the Graduate Institute of International Studies, Geneva, Switzerland, and
a Doctorate of Law (h.c.)from the University of the West Indies.

The full list of candidates vying for the Secretary General position include:

Mr Moin Uddin Ahmed (Bangladesh)
Mr Suat Hayri Aka (Türkiye)
Mr Arsenio Antonio Dominguez Velasco (Panama)
Dr Cleopatra Doumbia-Henry (Dominica)
Mrs Nancy Karigithu (Kenya)
Ms Minna Kivimäki (Finland)
Mr Zhang Xiaojie (China)

While I do not doubt the quality of the male candidates, I do feel that the tone that has been set by the IMO in terms of improving gender equity and diversity within the maritime industry could sway votes towards the ladies. That said, I must emphasise that I do not feel that the successful election of a female to this role will be a token appointment.

Both of the candidates that I have identified for the win are more than capable of taking up the position and should not be viewed favourably simply due to their gender. They are both well-positioned to undertake the mandate of the Secretary General with significant maritime as well as networking experience behind them – and would be excellent choices.

Following the election in July 2023, the decision of the Council will be submitted to the 33rd session of the Assembly of IMO in late 2023. The Assembly will be invited to approve the appointment.

The elected Secretary-General will take office on January 1st, 2024.  