‘The sea was no place for women’

When Mekondjo Amagola applied for maritime training in 1998, she had no idea the decision would shape the next 28 years of her life and eventually make her a marine engineer.

Looking back on her career, Amagola says what began as an opportunity to further her education led her through seafaring, lecturing, and technical management before she returned to the sea. She is also a mother of four and a grandmother of two. At the time, she was a first-year instrumentation student at Namibia Institute of Mining and Technology (NIMT) in Arandis before she joined the Namibian Maritime and Fisheries Institute (Namfi).

Raised by a single mother in Windhoek, she saw maritime training as an opportunity to further her education and ease the financial burden on her family. “I truly did not know what it was about when I applied for the training at Namfi,” she recalls. After passing the entrance test, she joined a programme offering an allowance of N$400, accommodation and meals, compared with the N$250 she had received at NIMT.

It was only during induction that she realised she was entering a career at sea. She says she had to thrive and make sure she completed the course. The training required trainees to document tasks in record books for assessment, preparing them for the responsibilities of becoming officers. Although some superiors were reluctant to share their skills, others helped her through the process.

When Amagolo started her maritime career, there was little certainty that women could survive, let alone thrive, aboard fishing vessels. “The sea was seen as no place for women,” she says.

Today, women trained by Namfi serve as navigation and engineering officers in different companies, demonstrating how far the industry has come.

Amagolo says the institute also sent maritime professionals abroad to obtain internationally recognised certificates of competency. Some subsequently returned to share their knowledge as instructors.

“Today, 28 years and five months, to be exact, since I started my journey with Namfi, I can stand here and say without hesitation, I am a proud product of Namfi,” said Amagola.

She commends the institute’s past and present management for sustaining its operations despite the challenges it has faced.

**Finding her place at sea **

Amagola’s journey has not been without challenges. While working as the only female engineer in a company, she experienced discrimination, manipulation and emotional abuse from a senior supervisor.

She says she had to figure things out on her own, although some colleagues were willing to help her. She endured the difficult working environment for four years but refused to abandon a career she had grown to love.

“Resigning was not an option. I did not choose this career, I got it from my creator and He has been with me all the way,” she said confidently.

For Amagola, the ocean offers more than a workplace. “I love my job, it is also like therapy! The ocean is therapeutic! A place where one not only works but relaxes too. And I love it so much out there,” said the engineer.

**From lecturer to engineer **

Amagola spent approximately 12 years lecturing and another eight years in technical management before returning to sea.

Some colleagues she now works alongside were once her students. Having advanced into senior positions, some have even become her supervisors, a development she regards with pride. “It may sound weird. I lectured for about 12 years, then technical for eight years. My students continued studying and worked themselves up into higher positions. For that reason, I am very proud to have walked this journey,” she says.

Today, she serves as a second engineer aboard the patrol vessel Anna Kakurukaze Mungunda, where she is responsible for an engineering watch.

Her duties include monitoring machinery and ensuring that electrical systems, lighting, ventilation, air-conditioning and refrigeration equipment function properly. When equipment breaks down, the engineering team must identify and resolve the problem while ensuring the safety of everyone aboard.

She also chairs the Industry Skills Committee, a sub-board committee of the Namibia Training Authority.

**Making room for the next generation **

With nearly three decades of experience, Amagola wants young Namibian women to recognise that careers at sea are within their reach, even in environments where women remain underrepresented.

She acknowledges that some may find themselves the only women on a ship’s bridge or in an engine room, but believes their presence can open doors for others.

“While they might find themselves as the only woman on a ship’s bridge or in an engine room, their presence paves the way for others,” she says. “They must remember that the ocean does not differentiate between male and female. It cares about competence, resilience and skill. Where there is will, there is a way.”

Amagolo remains grateful to Namfi for the opportunity to begin her career and takes pride in seeing more women follow in her footsteps.

“I want more young women to dream and take up their space in the maritime sector…it is possible.”

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