For the first time since Liberia began its maritime program in 1948, the country has gotten a female Maritime Educator in person Miatta Sonie Sherif. Mrs. Sherif obtained a Master’s of Science degree in Maritime Education and Training in 2019 from the World Maritime University in Sweden to become the first Liberian woman to achieve such feat.
This achievement comes at a time when the world second largest shipping registry nation is struggling to train its next generation of Maritime professional who would manage the country’s marine assets for the greater good of the citizenry and the economy.
As part of requirements to acquire the degree, Mrs. Sherif presented a dissertation on the topic: “The development of Maritime Education and Training in Liberia: a historical perspective”.
According to the first female Maritime Educator, it is now hard times that policymakers see the need to invest in building the capacity of Liberians, especially the young ones to take charge of Liberia’s maritime resources given the fact that the few professionals in the sector are aging.
“Giving our Maritime sector to foreigners to manage is a risk we don’t want to toy with,” she stressed.
The Master of Science in the studies of affairs program emphasized the practical application of expertise. The Study offers both an overview of the complex, inter-related maritime field, as well as the opportunity to specialize.
Designed to respond directly to the real needs of the maritime industry, the MSc equips graduates with the skills needed today and in the future. It is academically challenging and professionally oriented, and is designed for ambitious, mid-career maritime professionals.
The program provides a particularly strong foundation if you intend to move into an international career.
WMU is active in research that is influencing the development of the maritime industry. From the effects of climate change to maritime safety & security, from piracy to port state control, WMU’s faculty are involved in directional research that also adds significant value to the content of the MSc program, keeping it fresh and relevant.
The maritime education and training specialization has been designed for people engaged in maritime human resource management, the management of maritime-related knowledge and leadership in both academic and non-academic organizations.
It provides the knowledge essential for the optimization of maritime education under international law, the creation, acquisition and transfer of knowledge across maritime knowledge clusters and the optimum leadership of contemporary organizations.
Mrs. Miatta Sonie Sherif’s achievement means Liberia has a reservoir of knowledge development expertise to utilize particularly now that the Liberia Maritime Authority is strategically focused on building a vibrant domestic maritime program that would be self-sustainable and capacitated to handle the growing global trends.
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