Among five selected countries, Ghana has the most balanced seafarer workforce under training) were recorded from the five African countries, with the majority (72 percent) ratings (38,125). This finding highlights the consistent underreporting of the number of African seafarers in global maritime reports. Both South Africa and Nigeria show a similar trend in the numbers of registered officers and ratings. In Nigeria, for instance,the data reveals positions compared to South Africa and Nigeria, reflecting the limited capacity of the industry to engage its maritime workforce. The scarcity is particularly pronounced deck officers (n = 2,869) and engine officers (n = 2,949). This trend suggests a heavy reliance on non-officer roles to meet among officers, with only a handful registered and the number of female officers is exceptionally minimal, with just one female engine officer and three female deck operational demands in the shipping industry. The limited number of officers may reflect challenges in advanced maritime officers recorded. This data underscores the challenges in achieving gender parity training, certification or career progression opportunities within the country. Addressing this gap requires investing in officer positions to enhance the country's overall maritime capacity and workforce sustainability. and highlights the underrepresentation of women in higher-ranking positions. inclusivity, increase access to officer training and support the recruitment of female seafarers in leadership roles within Kenya's maritime sector. collection ifthe country's data were not accessible. For example, the Tanzania seafarersoperating inareasincludingtheGreatLakes, the Indian Oceanand on otherinternationalvessels.Thetotalnumberof registered seafarers inTanzania Was 10,459, but only 1,241 seafarers were employed, and the majority (n= 9,218) were unemployed and ratings. The data from South Africa shows a total of 5,117 Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping (STCW) certified seafarers gender and race.The deck department emerged asthe most populous, with2,226 seafarers, comparedto1,920in the enginedepartment.owever,the analysisreveals a persistent gender disparity across allranks, highlighting the underrepresentation of women in the maritime sector. Notably, the highest number of women recorded Navigational Watch. These findings point to the need for gender-specific initiatives to promote gender equality within the maritime workforce. (this analysis excludes the data provided on the number of cooks and cadets under training). (n = 5 countries)