When Beminet Mengistu told her family she was trading her job as an electrical engineer to join the Ethiopian Maritime Training Institute (EMTI), the reaction was not celebration, but fierce opposition. Her mother cried, fearing she would \u201cremain lonely.\u201d Yet, Beminet, channeling a mental toughness instilled by her soldier father, stood firm. \u201cNothing is challenging for me because \u2018simple\u2019 is not in my dictionary,\u201d she insisted. Beminet is one of the 27 pioneering young women who make up the first female cohort in EMTI\u2019s 26th batch, representing 27 of 226 total cadets.<\/p>\n
For years, the seafaring profession has been a male domain in Ethiopia. Now, these cadets are not just breaking barriers; they are helping Ethiopia embrace the African Union\u2019s Blue Economy Strategy, which emphasizes that ocean resources must be utilized sustainably and inclusively.<\/p>\n
This move by EMTI is significant against a backdrop of deep gender imbalance in the maritime sector globally. According to the International Maritime Organization (IMO), women account for only about two percent of the world\u2019s total seafaring workforce.<\/p>\n
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Furthermore, across many developing economies, women remain disproportionately underrepresented in technical and transport-related fields, despite representing roughly half the working-age population.<\/p>\n
In Ethiopia, this struggle for inclusion in technical fields is particularly serious. Women account for less than a quarter of the total enrollment in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) programs across Ethiopian public universities, demonstrating a systemic pipeline issue for highly technical careers. By recruiting this first female cohort, EMTI is addressing both the global maritime diversity gap and aligning with national policy commitments to boost female participation in critical STEM disciplines.<\/p>\n
The EMTI, in partnership with Bahir Dar University, offers rigorous courses like the nine-month Mechanical Engineering stream and the six-month Electrical Engineering stream, which the new female cadets have joined. The academy has a significant history, having graduated over 2,500 students since its first batches trained in Israel in 2011. These initial groups were all graduates of the Bahir Dar University Polytechnic Institute, according to Zelalem Teferi, head of academy administration.<\/p>\n
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Zelalem explained that the decision to end the male-only tradition was strategic and client-driven. Previously, there was minimal demand for female cadets from hiring companies. However, observing international experience and responding to a clear shift in client needs, the academy started recruiting women. This move, Zelalem pointed out, is a direct fulfillment of EMTI\u2019s mission: to provide a training delivery service that educates, trains, and develops seafarers who meet \u201cthe expectations of the maritime industry.\u201d<\/p>\n
The admission process for the new cadets was strict, requiring an appropriate educational background, legal guarantees (including a blood-related guarantor and property collateral), and passing multiple written and oral exams, all while being under 26 years of age. Zelalem also detailed the benefits the cadets will enjoy: an attractive, tax-free salary, the opportunity to earn foreign exchange, travel experience, and loan opportunities from Zemen Bank.<\/p>\n
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Of the 27 female cadets, five\u2014Meklit Melaku, Tsega Maru, Finoteloza Girma, Rediet Yilma, and Beminet Mengistu\u2014were interviewed for this article. All five share a common, powerful narrative: they were already employed but sacrificed their jobs, driven by a deep-seated passion for the maritime field. Their commitment stemmed from a common question: \u201cWhy is the seafaring profession so heavily male-dominated?\u201d All of them were determined to prove their capabilities, emphasizing that any profession is about passion and hard work, not sex.<\/p>\n
This ambition was met with cultural resistance. The women unanimously reported that their families were not happy or fully supportive of their choice, highlighting the deep-seated stereotypes they are fighting to overcome, such as the societal expectation that a woman must prioritize marriage and family by a certain age.<\/p>\n
For Beminet, the opposition was intense, specifically because she was the only daughter. When she informed her family of her decision, her extended relatives gathered, pleading with her to abandon the maritime career. Their main argument was that she should prioritize marriage to provide grandchildren for the family.<\/p>\n
Beminet stood firm, supported only by the mental fortitude instilled by her father. Her ultimate vision transcends her career: she seeks to redefine womanhood itself.<\/p>\n
\u201cPeople always define women or female: \u2018A woman is a mother, a sister, a wife.\u2019 What does it mean? We are more than that. Why don\u2019t they define us by our dream?\u201d she asked, arguing that men are defined by their professional roles, not just domestic relations. After this, she believes, people will define me as a seafaring officer, the first EMTI female cadet. \u201cEveryone will be defined by their dream,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
Life at the academy is highly structured and disciplined, and the women have found strong support among their male peers and instructors. Mohammed Shamil, a junior leader,\u00a0 noted that the women\u2019s presence has had a positive effect on the entire students. \u201cWe take care of female cadets better than male cadets. There are no challenges from the respective male classmates, and actually, the female cadets perform better than male cadets in some instances,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Another junior leader Agumas Adissu, confirmed that the presence of women has made the male students \u201cmore disciplined,\u201d underscoring that the inclusion has raised the professional standard for all.<\/p>\n
The female cadets themselves highlighted how the disciplined and structured daily routine has been instrumental, crediting it with significantly improving their time management skills and reinforcing their determination.<\/p>\n
The Electrical Engineering department instructors offered complimentary advice on preparing for life at sea. Sudhakaran Kizhuanllor, the program coordinator, welcomed the change but acknowledged the heavily physical nature of the job. He stressed a policy of equal treatment to build confidence.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe don\u2019t give any special treatment because they are female. I think that will help them build more confidence.\u201d His key advice focused on professional self-reliance: \u201cYour safety is in your hands; it is the priority. Feel confident in your communication. On board ship, communication is key; if you don\u2019t understand, ask boldly,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n
Ahmed Meeran, also an electrical engineering instructor, confirmed the high performance of the new cohort, noting that the female cadets are \u201cmore proactive, they are good in their studies, and they speak more fluently than the male cadets.\u201d He emphasized that this is a great opportunity for them, but it demands a \u201cbrave heart.\u201d<\/p>\n
He reinforced the need for a strong, resilient mindset because the career is male-dominated, and they will be away from family. \u201cWorking at sea is a different scenario which might be challenging,\u201d Meeran stated, adding, on board a ship they can\u2019t get separate treatment, and should get used to the mindset here in the institute during their training. \u201cThere is no excuse on board ship.\u201d<\/p>\n
He added that EMTI maintains connections with hiring companies to follow up on the well-being of these female cadets, underscoring their employment chances. Meeran also noted the broader academic goal: \u201cStudents should prioritize understanding, not memorization, for all cadets\u2026 All of them who join Electrical Engineering should really understand the basics of their profession.\u201d<\/p>\n
The journey has been transformative. Beminet, who struggled initially with her short breath during physical training, now feels \u201cmore active and strong,\u201d crediting the rigorous schedule with building her endurance and discipline. For young women who might want to follow in her footsteps, Beminet offers a practical, resilient piece of advice for facing challenges and negative influences:<\/p>\n
\u201cDon\u2019t try to see the whole picture at once. Pick up the pieces, put them together, and you will see the whole picture maybe after some time. Don\u2019t take any advice from friends and relatives who give negative energy,\u201d she advised.<\/p>\n
The hope shared by the cadets, the staff, and Zelalem is that this first batch will not just survive the \u201cexperiment\u201d of inclusion, but redefine the maritime profession, ensuring that Ethiopia\u2019s future at sea is driven by talent, discipline, and equal opportunity for all.<\/p>\n
Tigit Mekonnen is a senior lecturer at Bahir Dar University\u2019s Journalism and Communications Department.)<\/p>\n
Contributed by Tigit Mekonnen<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"When Beminet Mengistu told her family she was trading her job as an electrical engineer to join the…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":210,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[25],"tags":[65],"class_list":{"0":"post-15915","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-ethiopia","8":"tag-ethiopia"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/africa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15915","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/africa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/africa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/africa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/africa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=15915"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/africa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15915\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/africa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/210"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/africa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=15915"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/africa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=15915"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/africa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=15915"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}