Maritime Conference in Ghana attracts 35 nations to collaborate on securing Gulf of Guinea

The government of Ghana is giving its endeavors to join hands with stakeholders in the maritime industry at both the regional and international levels with a serious objective to reduce security threats on the country’s territorial waters.

The Gulf of Guinea is considered a hub of illegal activities resulting tremendous threats to global trade and security. According to the International Maritime Bureau, the Gulf of Guinea is the most dangerous stretch of sea for pirate attacks over the planet. The problems seek solutions to get rid of illegal activities that plague the region.

A two-day International Maritime Defence Exhibition and Conference took place in Ghana’s capital, Accra where the experts discussed the issues of armed robbery and piracy and the solutions. The Minister of Defence, Dominic Nitiwul said that there is a requirement for strong collaboration among all stakeholders in the maritime sector.

The event was organized by UAE-based Great Minds Events Management Group of Dubai in association with the Ghana Navy. The activities were also to celebrate the 60^th anniversary of the Ghana Navy. The event’s theme was “Empowering regional collaboration to enhance maritime security and regional development in the Gulf of Guinea.” The conference focused on dealing with multiple security-related issues like piracy, illegal fishing, abducting for ransom, illegal oil bunkering and drug trafficking in the Gulf of Guinea.

On the other hand, alongside naval leaders from other countries, the US Navy Admiral James Foggo toured the US, Ghanaian and Nigerian vessels at the port of Sekondi. “Our interest in the Gulf of Guinea is helping our African partners and friends legitimize and control the sea lines of communication that lead to the ports of Africa. Ninety percent of their commerce travels by those sea lines of communication. There is a lot of activity that is legal, probably more legal than illegal. We want to stop the illegal activity, it takes away from their tax base, their profitability and detracts from their economy,” Foggo said.

According to Foggo, there is a requirement to give more emphasis to arresting, charging and prosecuting those committing illegal activities in the Gulf. “There has got to be some kind of deterrence or punishment applied in order to keep people from doing this in the future, otherwise if they go into a detention facility or jail and they get out, they just go back and do it again,” he added. He is the commander of US Allied Joint Force Command Naples, US Naval Forces Europe and US Naval Forces Africa.

“The threats to maritime security and safety transcend borders and have the propensity to affect international trade hence a threat to one coastal nation is a threat to all nations; coastal or landlocked,” Dominic Nitiwul told at the maritime conference in Accra.

The International Maritime Defence Exhibition and Conference ending Thursday brings together 25 countries represented the by speakers and exhibitors who are eager to find ways to collaborating on solutions for combating the challenges. Over 300 delegates and exhibitors from 35 nations, including the USA, Germany and Malaysia, and about 20 naval chiefs from Africa are participating in the conference.

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