Countries along the Gulf of Guinea (GoG) have been tasked to adopt a comprehensive and coordinated approach in tackling other challenges in the maritime space besides piracy.
According to the Commandant of the Kofi Annan International Peacekeeping Training Centre (KAIPTC), Major-General Richard Addo-Gyane, although piracy had declined, other issues like Illegal, Unreported, and Unregulated (IUU) Fishing, cyber threats and gender disparities persisted in the GoG.
Speaking at the opening of a two-day Maritime Security Conference in Accra yesterday, he urged stakeholders of the GoG not to rest on their oars in their efforts to have a safer and resilient maritime environment.
The conference, on the theme; ‘Maritime Security in the Gulf of Guinea: Fostering a Comprehensive Approach to a Complex Problem,’ aims to consolidate gains made in addressing diverse challenges in the GoG.
It is being organised by the KAIPTC, the Royal Danish Defence College and the Security Institute for Governance and Leadership in Africa (SIGLA) of the Stellenbosch University, with more than 80 participants from Ghana and beyond.
They would discuss IUU Fishing and other challenges, and the Yaounde Code of Conduct (YCC), which was signed 10 years ago by 25 heads of state to foster maritime security.
Major-General Addo-Gyane attributed the ‘calm seas’ in the Gulf of Guinea to the national, regional and international efforts particularly made by Nigeria and the EU Coordinated Maritime Presences (CMP).
He praised countries within the GoG maritime space for redoubling collaborative efforts on maritime security issues through the YCC, and commending the other conference organisers for their commitment to maritime security.
He said the KAIPTC would continue to provide globally recognised capacity for all actors on African peace and security through training, education, research, and policy dialogues to foster peace and stability in Africa.
The Chief of Naval Staff, Rear Admiral Issah Yakubu, echoed the need to improve on successes chalked in fighting piracy, noting that piracy reduced from 84 reported incidents in 2020 to 19 cases in 2022.
“We may be tempted to celebrate these improvements; however, it is vital that these gains are sustained and improved on. It may be a matter of time before these pirate action groups resurface, up their games and take to the sea again,” he said.
Rear Admiral Yakubu called for a concerted effort because economic prosperity and people’s well-being of the gulf region depended on a secure and open communication.
“Therefore, governments in the region should commit to policies and programmes that would help ensure the region’s maritime domain is safe,” he said.
An Associate Professor at the centre for Stabilisation Operations at the Danish Defence College called for capacity building of stakeholder institutions to enable them to adequately fight against maritime insecurity.
For her part, the Vice Dean of the Faculty of Military Science, Stellenbosch University, Dr Michelle Nel, pledged the commitment of the university to various activities earmarked to secure the ocean.
BY JONATHAN DONKOR
