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By James Amoh Junior
Accra, Sept. 01, GNA – Stakeholders in the maritime sector have called for stronger regional cooperation and collaboration to address the insecurity in the Gulf of Guinea (GoG).
Cooperation among stakeholders, they said, would ensure the safety of maritime trade, preserve rich marine resources, and boost economic development in the GoG.
They made the call on Thursday at the opening of a two-day conference on maritime insecurity in the GoG at the Kofi Annan International Peacekeeping Training Centre (KAIPTC) in Accra.
The theme of the conference is “Maritime Security in the Gulf of Guinea: Fostering a Comprehensive Approach to a Complex Problem.”
The conference will, among other things, address the pressing maritime security issues in the Gulf of Guinea by facilitating information sharing and dialogue with stakeholders from academia, industry, policymakers, and institutions.
The meeting focuses on the Yaoundé Code of Conduct, capacity development, illicit, unreported, and unregulated fishing, cyber security, drug trafficking, arms smuggling, piracy, armed robbery at sea, and women’s participation in maritime security.
The stakeholders argued that though there had been a decrease in maritime piracy since 2022, it could not be attributed to a single line of endeavour.
They stated that it was critical to sustainably strengthen efforts, including effective collaboration, to achieve and maintain general marine security on a broad scale.
Rear Admiral Issah Adam Yakubu, Chief of Naval Staff, Ghana Navy, said although other maritime security threats were important to coastal governments, piracy and armed robbery at sea had captured the world’s attention due to their global impact.
He noted that some of the challenges to marine security in the region were mutual trust, information sharing, interoperability, boundary delimitation, and language limitations, which necessitated a comprehensive approach to help achieve a crime-free Gulf of Guinea.
“The complexity of the problem…indicates that no individual country can single-handedly address maritime security challenges.
“The sea’s seamless nature and the shipping industry’s multinational character require countries to cooperate to address maritime issues,” the Chief of Naval Staff stressed.
Major General Richard Addo Gyane, Commandant of KAIPTC, stated that despite recent “calm seas,” additional action was required to address insecurity in the Gulf of Guinea.
While noting that states in the GoG maritime domain had doubled their efforts at networking, information sharing, and collaborating on maritime security since 2013, he urged stakeholders
to take a comprehensive and coordinated approach to addressing the complex challenges to make the GoG’s maritime domain safer and resilient.
Dr Michelle Nel, Vice Dean, Faculty of Military Science, Stellenbosch University, observed that the GoG, with its enormous resources and crucial trade routes, played a critical role in the global environment.
However, it was beset by maritime security challenges which threatened regional stability, economic prosperity, and global security.
She pointed out that collaborative efforts would not only have an impact on the nations involved but would also resonate across the continent, influencing the safety and well-being of countless lives and livelihoods in local communities.
Professor Thomas Mandrup, Associate Professor, Centre for Stabilisation Operations, Institute of Strategy and War Studies at the Danish Defence College, said addressing complex maritime challenges required genuine cooperation and moving beyond sovereignty and national interests to find transnational solutions.
“The Gulf of Guinea’s security situation is a concern, with recent coups undermining trust and cooperation,” he said, adding that while capacity building was vital, it must emphasize sustainability and local ownership.
Prof. Mandrup called for a de-securitized maritime space, focusing on a comprehensive approach to protect populations and their interests.
GNA
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