First Lady to serve as patron of ACMF

Her Excellency First Lady Arya Ali will serve as Patron at this year’s American Caribbean Maritime Foundation (ACMF) Gala and Anchor Awards which will be held at the Lauderdale Yacht Club in Fort Lauderdale under the theme “Talent in your backyard”.

Mrs Ali was invited by the ACMF to serve as the event’s Patron, and will deliver remarks at the ceremony which is to be held later today. “I am humbled by the opportunity to serve as Patron for the American Caribbean Maritime Foundation’s Anchor Awards this year.

The work of maritime agencies and partners like the ACMF remains crucial to our Region’s development,” the First Lady said in an invited comment.

The annual Anchor Awards of the ACMF honours stalwarts in the cargo and cruise industry for their accomplishments and positive impact on the Caribbean shipping and maritime sector. Funds from the event support scholarships for aspiring Caribbean maritime professionals. Currently, forty-two (42) Guyanese are benefitting from scholarships through the ACMF.

The scholarships have been awarded through MATPAL Marine Institute and the Atlantic Alliance Maritime and Offshore Training Institute (AAMOTI). Since assuming the role of First Lady, Mrs Ali has played an increasingly important role in Guyana’s maritime sector. She has since awarded one hundred scholarships to women from hinterland regions to pursue maritime training at AAMOTI.

Launched in 2016, the ACMF has focused on raising up a cadre of seafarers and maritime professionals from CARICOM to take up officer, engineering, navigational and other positions in the sector. The ACMF is a US-based non-profit tax-exempt organization, and is dedicated to sponsoring academic scholarships and grants to aspiring Caribbean and CARICOM maritime professionals and seafarers.

[Office of the First Lady Press Release]