President Akufo-Addo has called on African coastal countries to foster great cooperation and collaboration among African Maritime forces and work together, share ideas, and coordinate efforts to effectively address maritime security threats and safeguard African maritime domain.
Speaking at the African Maritime Forces Summit and Naval Infantry Leaders Symposium in Accra, President Akufo-Addo said the blue economy holds enormous potential for coastal economies, but it faces threats in all forms which undermine economic gains and threaten human lives.
“This potential is, however, constantly threatened by various maritime security challenges, including piracy, illegal fishing, smuggling, and maritime terrorism. These transnational crimes do not only threaten national and regional peace and security, but they also come at a great cost to the economies of both coastal and noncoastal states.”
The African Maritime Forces Summit and Naval Infantry Leaders Symposium is a gathering of Military chiefs and governmental leaders from more than 40 countries in Africa, Europe, and the USA. The 2024 Accra Summit, co-hosted by Ghana and the United States of America, is being attended by over 30 African countries, with a particular focus on maritime security and collaboration.
The aim is to improve interoperability across domains and continents, strengthening strategic-level relationships to help facilitate better regional cooperation when dealing with maritime threats. It is christened “Co-operation at Sea: Safeguarding African Maritime Security.” To the organisers, the 38 African countries along the coast lines, covering about 19,000 miles, are under constant threats of illegal fishing, terrorism, piracy, and illegal trafficking, among others, and strong collaboration with Europe and Africa can bring these threats under control.
President Akufo-Addo said it is public knowledge that the global maritime space, particularly the Gulf of Guinea, is a key route for international trade and connects all of the major continents.
The current crisis in the Red Sea, and the re-routing of maritime traffic, he explained, attest to the strategic importance of the western coast of Africa.
Aside from these major threats, he continued that there are increasing numbers of other incidents occurring in the territorial and international waters across the entire African continent—”illegal oil bunkering, kidnappings at sea for ransom, illegal fishing, terrorism, and drug trafficking are common threats across our territorial waters.”
These transnational crimes not only threaten national and regional peace and security but also come at a great cost to the economies of both coast and non-coast states, President Akufo-Addo disclosed.
In the face of these challenges, he said it is imperative “we foster greater cooperation and collaboration amongst Africa maritime forces, by working together and sharing intelligence, and coordinating our efforts, we can address effectively maritime security threats and safeguard our maritime domain”.
US Ambassador to Ghana, Virginia Palmer, said the event is a testament not only to the shared commitment to maritime security but also to the enduring partnership between Ghana, the US, and the continent of Africa.
She noted that the threats of violent extremism in the Gulf of Guinea mean more effort must be added to deal with them.
The Chief of Naval Staff of the Ghana Navy, Rear Admiral Issah Yakubu, said Africa faces several threats at sea, and building strong partnerships with other security agencies is key to combating the threats.
The Commanders, US Maritime Forces Africa Major General Robert Sofge and Admiral Stuart Munsch, said the threats in the blue economy demand common efforts to deal with violent extremism and piracy in the maritime space.
At the end of the three-day summit, these military chiefs, government officials, policymakers, and key stakeholders in the blue economy in Africa are expected to come up with concrete strategies to deal with violent extremism, illegal fishing, illegal trafficking, and piracy in Africa’s coastal areas.