The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) is partnering with the European Union (EU) to find solution to maritime insecurity along the West African coast.
To achieve this, the parties concerned have met in Abuja to develop the framework known as the ‘European Union-funded Support to West Africa Integrated Maritime Security (SWAIMS) project’, participants from all the ECOWAS member countries were in attendant to review and refine modalities on the distribution of essential maritime security equipment across ECOWAS’ littoral countries.
According to the Head of ECOWAS’ Regional Security Division, Col. Abdourahmane Dieng, who spoke on the modalities to be followed,he observed that maritime insecurity is one of the most persistent and intractable threats to maritime communities and economic prosperity in the sub-region.
He stated that ECOWAS launched its Integrated Maritime Strategy in 2014 with parameters for the development of the blue economy premised upon a coherent security framework.
Recognising that turning the tide against maritime insecurity is a collaborative effort and that no single country or region can tackle it alone, ECOWAS, in conjunction with the Economic Community of Central African States (ECCAS), formulated the Yaoundé Code of Conduct for broad-based regional maritime security along the entire Gulf of Guinea. But the security partnership goes beyond Africa, embracing the European Union (EU) and other key international players located outside the Gulf of Guinea because the Gulf is of global importance as a crucial international maritime route.
In his comment on the initiative, the EU Senior Coordinator for the Gulf of Guinea, Ambassador Nicolas Berlanga Martinez said: “The EU is a committed partner to the Gulf of Guinea region and will continue to provide extensive and targeted assistance to strengthen the critical features of the Yaoundé security architecture.”
Among the ongoing efforts at tackling insecurity along the West African corridor is the EU-funded ECOWAS project tagged SWAIMS, a collaborative, complex, multi-component, regional initiative implemented by various partners and covering 15 ECOWAS countries.