By Grace Tinetali-Fiavaai of rnz.co.nz and is republished with permission.
A Tongan woman and Vanuatuan citizen hopes to advocate for more women and girls in Vanuatu to enter the maritime industry.
Seiloni Akanete Toakuru graduated from the World Maritime University in Sweden last week, alongside more than 260 others from more than 70 member states of the International Maritime Organization. Photo: Supplied
Seiloni Akanete Toakuru graduated from the World Maritime University in Sweden last week, alongside more than 260 others from more than 70 member states of the International Maritime Organization (IMO).
Born in Tonga but now a Vanuatu citizen, she is the first Vanuatuan woman to graduate from the IMO.
She said it was well worth the effort, despite being away from her family for 14 months.
“I had to go through a lot of stress because it was the first time I, as a mother and a wife, had to leave behind my husband and children,” she said.
“It took a lot of sacrifices and patience, and perseverance.
“If you want something in life, you have to go after it,” Seiloni Akanete Toakuru said.
Toakuru has three children, and the two oldest stayed with her mother back in Tonga while she was in Europe, with the youngest staying in Vanuatu with her husband.
She said graduating and returning to Vanuatu with the qualification reminded her there is “something bigger coming up”.
“It is my contribution to Vanuatu in the maritime sector.”
Toakuru has been actively involved in maritime administration in both Vanuatu and Tonga for over a decade, contributing to policy and compliance.
She has a Masters of Maritime Studies, and of Maritime Affairs, specializing in maritime law and policy.
Toakuru was born and raised in Tonga but married a Ni-Vanuatu man and nows calls Vanuatu home.
She hopes to advocate there for females to enter the maritime industry, as she believes there is a place for them with times changing and more opportunities and scholarships available.
She said previously there weren’t many job opportunities but her scholarship, through the German government, allowed her to upskill.
Toakuru is now back in Vanuatu working with the Maritime Safety Authority as the acting deputy international commissioner.
She said she wants to work towards strategies and policies to help Vanuatu.
