Across Africa, where the ocean often reflects our barriers as much as our horizons, Elizabeth Marami is charting a new course, for women, for equality, for audacious dreams.

Born in Mombasa, Kenya, Elizabeth started her journey with dreams of law at the University of Nairobi.

But the sea, she realized, was calling louder. A scholarship to study navigation in Alexandria, Egypt, opened the gateway. She trained for five years, mastering nautical science, unlearning limits others imposed, and writing her own definition of possibility.

Her defining moment came when she made history as Kenya’s first female marine pilot. At just 28 she stood at the helm in a world long steered by men, guiding vessels into port with precision, claiming space that was never designed for her, and doing so with courage.

She is often the only female on board for sometimes 18 months at a time, facing solitude and pressure with unwavering resilience.

Rejection, bias, being the only woman on deck, Elizabeth confronted them all. When doors were shut, she built platforms.

She started an initiative for women in the maritime industry called “Against the Tide,” an online platform that provides “a glimpse into the experiences and travails of a female seafarer, both successful and unsuccessful career paths of these gallant women pursuing their seafaring dreams, and how they are charting their path in this profession.”

It has become a mirror for other women navigating the waves: showing not just the storms, but the stars above them.

Her leadership isn’t confined to ports or ships. She has spoken at conferences and in public forums, sharing her experiences and championing greater gender inclusion in the maritime industry.

By telling her story, Elizabeth shows that gender is no barrier to navigating uncharted waters.

Recognition has followed, but for Elizabeth it’s never been about the acclaim. It’s about opening pathways. It’s about every young woman along the Kenyan coast, and across Africa, seeing someone who looks like them at the helm and believing she belongs there too.

In a continent of resilient stories, Elizabeth Marami stands as a beacon that change isn’t just coming, it’s already here. She is not just a first; she is a force, a reminder that when women steer, they help chart new futures for us all.