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African women professionals in Shipping, Trade and Oil and Gas are meeting in Ghana to review the role of women in pushing forward the development of their various countries, and empowering more females to take up challenges in professions dominated by men. The Women�s International Shipping and Trading Association (WISTA) Ghana will be hosting the 5th WISTA Africa Conference under the theme �Women in Maritime: Oil & Gas Conference, at the Atlantic Hotel, Takoradi, Ghana from 28th to 30th May, 2014. The three-day conference, which is endorsed by the Ministries of Transport, Energy and Petroleum and the Minister of Gender, Children and Social protection and the Minister of Transport, is expected to bring together professional women from the maritime, oil and gas industries to discuss the development of these respected industries in Africa. The conference will also discuss the participation and role of women in these two industries and would provide the opportunity to learn, share ideas and experiences from participating countries within the sub region. �Worldwide, there is the perception that the maritime and oil & Gas industries are male dominated and women are hardly seen in operational side. In Africa, very few women have ventured into the oil and gas sector, but there are a lot of opportunities for them. The maritime industry has a role to play in the oil and gas industry and this conference is intended to create awareness of opportunities in these two sectors for women�, Naa Densua Aryeetey, President of WISTA, Ghana noted. Topics to be discussed include Africa�s oil and gas production and potential, the development and promotion of Local content, the downstream shipping and logistics in the oil and gas industry. Others are the recruitment, sustainability and the role of women, Leadership, mentoring and network, and many more.