FROM a little girl in rural Kenya who listened to the sounds of the sea from cowrie shells to candidate for the top job at the International Maritime Organization — Nancy Karigithu’s long maritime voyage may end with her becoming the first African and first woman secretary-general in its 70-year history, if she is elected next Tuesday.

Karigithu was among the first of the seven candidates to flag her interest for the secretary-general’s position which begins on January 1, with the winner succeeding the incumbent over the past eight years, South Korea’s Kitack Lim.

She is currently the special envoy and advisor on maritime and blue economy at the executive office of the president in Kenya, after a long career representing her country at the IMO and developing technical co-operation programmes in Africa on its behalf.

Among her lengthy achievements, Karigithu was the director general of Kenya’s maritime authority and chairperson of the IMO’s technical cooperation committee.

Her interest in a maritime career began aged five, when a visiting overseas a teacher taught her to make paper boats and brought cowrie shells, telling young Nancy that if she put one to her ear, she would hear the sea. She was brought up 750km from the sea and was fascinated by the ocean when she saw it for the first time when she visited Mombasa.

Karigithu was an early favourite, but the high number of candidates has likely diluted her vote, especially with the late, surprise entry of China, for whom many of the African countries would be also encouraged to support. Her candidate information is here.

The candidates are: Bangladesh (Moin Uddin Ahmed), China (Zhang Xiajojie), Dominica (Dr Cleopatra Doumbia-Henry), Finland (Minna Kivimäki), Kenya (Nancy Karigithu), Panama (Arsenio Dominguez) and Türkiye (Suat Hayri Aka) all put forward their nominations for the position, which for the first time includes three women.

The IMO must take critical decisions over the next four years, amid heavy criticism that the pace of decarbonisation regulation will compromise the United Nations agency’s role as an international regulator.

The secretary-general will not only set the tone at the secretariat, but as the public face of the IMO, the personality must bridge divisions and steer a course that will keep the IMO relevant and respected.

As most secretary-generals are re-elected for a second term, the successful candidate will take the IMO through key climate change regulations in shipping and other challenges, such as autonomous shipping, a looming seafarer shortfall, as well as digitalisation and other internal reorganisations.

Last time the council elected the secretary-general, there were multiple rounds of voting before the eventual candidate emerged.