By Lawrence Dogli
From Piracy to Holistic Security in the Gulf of Guinea
Since the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) identified maritime piracy in the Gulf of Guinea (GoG) region as a threat to international peace and security, GoG countries and partners have implemented various initiatives to secure the region and safeguard its socio-economic interests. Through Resolutions 2018 and 2039, adopted in 2011, the UNSC primarily endorsed a militarized approach to combating piracy, drawing parallels to its strategy in the Gulf of Aden. However, while this approach achieved significant success in reducing piracy incidents in the GoG, it has proven insufficient in addressing the root causes of maritime crimes. Challenges such as IUU fishing, human and drug trafficking, weak governance, economic disparities, and inadequate local capacity continue to fuel insecurity, reinforcing the need for a more integrated and holistic strategy that combines security, development, and governance reforms.
While many international partners have rallied behind African coastal states, local experts continue to emphasize the importance of locally driven solutions, supported by international assistance. This perspective is further accentuated by the Security Council’s recent adoption of Resolution 2634, which demonstrates a broader understanding of the root causes of piracy and other transnational organized crimes in the region. The resolution represents a significant departure from the UNSC's earlier approaches, marking a shift toward more comprehensive and context-sensitive strategies. It’s also important to note that the language of cooperation and trust employed by Gulf of Guinea (GoG) countries conveys, perhaps intentionally, that the region's unique concerns should serve as the foundation for developing pragmatic and effective solutions. This foundation is further envisioned to be built upon a whole-of-governance approach that prioritizes African-led strategies and ownership.
NATO Study Day on Maritime Security in the Gulf of Guinea
This year’s NATO Study Day on Maritime Security in the Gulf of Guinea focused primarily on the region’s maritime criminality. While piracy in the GoG has significantly declined, discussions highlighted that the phenomenon of transnational organized crime and governance challenges require equally urgent attention.
In Naples, GoG stakeholders presented compelling arguments on the importance of international support for locally driven approaches to addressing criminality in the region. At the same time, there was a clear acknowledgment of the substantial support already provided by Western partners for local initiatives. In particular, appreciation was expressed for the support provided by the EU-Coordinated Maritime Presence (EU-CMP), which has significantly contributed to increasing naval assets in the Gulf of Guinea, enhancing maritime security situational awareness, and fostering cooperation among the Member States of the region. This recognition highlighted the need for further dialogue to better understand and address existing gaps in collaboration and implementation within the framework of the Yaoundé Maritime Architecture.
Collaboration, Challenges, and Strategic Shifts
The West must critically evaluate the multilateral tools most effectively tailored to support the Global South, prioritizing consultation and inclusion. Consultation would help in identifying the diverse community interests and the establishment of shared goals, while inclusion would strengthen cohesion and commitment to collective action. In fact, prior to the NATO Study Day, African leaders gathered in South Africa for the 5th Seapower Symposium for Africa, demonstrating a shared commitment to addressing common maritime challenges and enhancing cooperation among the Member States of the region. A key outcome of the symposium was the emphasis on strengthening regional collaboration, including breaking down barriers to inter-naval cooperation, enhancing information-sharing on maritime domain awareness (MDA), and conducting regular joint maritime exercises. Furthermore, stakeholders highlighted the importance of accelerating the implementation of the African Integrated Maritime Strategy (AIMS) 2050 through joint maritime patrols, reinforcing communication between Maritime Domain Awareness Centres (MDACs), and initiating discussions on the Combined Exclusive Maritime Zone of Africa (CEMZA). In that regard, it may be considered a revival of the African Union’s vision of regional ownership in addressing maritime security issues within the sub region.
The Combined Exclusive Maritime Zone of Africa represents a regional response to the growing multidimensional advantages of Africa’s maritime domain while mitigating transnational threats. It is aimed at enhancing intra-African trade by streamlining administrative barriers within the African Union's maritime transport sector.
These developments reflect a growing recognition of the strategic importance of regional maritime governance and the need for enhanced partnerships to address growing insecurity posed by illicit activities in the Gulf of Guinea, which undermine the gains of the Continental Blue Economy and the implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).
The readout from the Study Day Meeting recognizes that “enhancing mutual understanding of complex world dynamics and challenges requires sustained dialogue, with representatives of the Gulf of Guinea region, partnerships on equal terms, as well as sharing of information and perspectives.. This is a very honest and pragmatic admission. The global maritime environment has undergone significant transformation. The Red Sea crisis, which began on October 19, 2023, has illuminated emerging threats, underscoring how extremist militant networks now pose unprecedented risks to the broader Horn of Africa—challenges previously unforeseen. These unfolding events further stress the need for strategic shifts in maritime defense, prompting momentum for naval modernization and transformation in a new global security environment.
The Study Day statement underscores the imperative of global cooperation and sustained dialogue as essential prerequisites for aligning security priorities worldwide. These realities demand a more nuanced and inclusive approach to global solidarity. Cooperation is no longer a symbolic gesture extended to the Global South; it has become an existential necessity for the West as well, reflecting the interconnectedness of global security and shared vulnerabilities.
The Study Day meeting draws attention to priority alignment between NATO Allies and stakeholders in the Gulf of Guinea, highlighting the interconnected nature of vulnerabilities to insecurity and crises worldwide. This interconnectedness further emphasizes that our borders and alliances are only as effective as our collective efforts to ensure mutual protection, anchored in shared values and cooperative action.
Rethinking the Narrative
International partners must not only rethink their approach but also actively work to reshape the prevailing maritime security narrative, especially in the Gulf of Guinea. Too often, the West, in its pursuit of global peace and security, has overlooked the priorities and interests of the Global South. To foster true equity, we must break away from a global order driven by double standards, where Western interests dominate global priorities. In this context, maritime cooperation should be redefined on a regional basis, grounded in shared values, mutual interests, and the equality of all voices. Synchronously, African states must recognize that achieving regional ownership requires reducing the continent's dependence on the West while addressing societal, economic, and security vulnerabilities that impede socio-economic development.
A Unified Global Imperative
Securing good governance and tangible economic development are shared values that all countries can embrace as global priority to drive cooperation. Regardless of where instability arises, the protection of livelihoods must remain a universal imperative, which points out the need for collective action and shared responsibility. Selective interventions and cooperation risk exacerbating poverty and inequality in coastal communities, depriving the most vulnerable populations of opportunities for a sustainable future. Equal attention and resources should be directed toward addressing socio-economic disparities and supporting alternative livelihood sources.. Research has shown that these issues can directly and indirectly contribute to the development of piracy, making them critical areas for intervention.
Despite the GoG region's abundant reserves of crude oil and mineral resources, this wealth has largely failed to benefit coastal villages or improve the livelihoods of the broader population. Research indicates that many pirates in the region are former fishermen or unemployed youths, often recruited and exploited by organized criminal groups. The response to piracy in the Gulf of Guinea appears to send a mixed message regarding the approach to tackling transnational organized crime in the region. While the significant decline in piracy demonstrates what can be achieved through collective determination and mutual support, the level of attention given to piracy should serve as a benchmark for addressing other organized crimes that threaten the sustainable development of a Continental blue economy.
Adopting a whole-of-governance approach that prioritizes regional strategies and ownership could provide the opportunity for countries in the Global North to reset relationships that have long been based on flawed principles of cooperation and collaboration.
In conclusion, it must be said that piracy in the Gulf of Guinea region warrants the attention it is receiving, as it has established a gold standard for how regional stakeholders and international partners should demonstrate support going forward. Similar levels of cooperation should be extended in combating other maritime related crimes.
Recommendations for Western Partners
Recognize Africa’s aspiration to play a leadership role in the Gulf of Guinea region. Leverage regional frameworks such as the 2050 Africa's Integrated Maritime Strategy (2050 AIM Strategy), and the Africa Charter on Maritime Security, Safety and Development in Africa for mutual benefit and drive sustainable development in the region.
Support the region’s interest to normalize relations with non-Atlantic third parties, foster cooperation agreements among states, and accommodate interests that align with or do not conflict with those of Atlantic states.
Work together to bolster Africa’s defense and deterrence capabilities in the Gulf of Guinea region.
Commit to support the implementation of the Combined Exclusive Maritime Zone of Africa (CEMZA) and the Combined Maritime Task Force.
Reaffirm support for regional initiatives, such as the SHADE Forum and the YARIS Architecture, as the tendency to shift focus toward alternative priorities contributes to the region’s concerns about cooperation with international partners in the region.
Recommendations for Gulf of Guinea States
Capitalise the current maritime security gains in the region as an opportunity to reaffirm Africa’s central security role in the Gulf of Guinea, particularly in deterring organized crime in the region.
Step up efforts to close the loopholes that allow industrial vessels to circumvent fisheries sanctions, including tampering with electronic monitoring systems, operating under different flags to obscure vessel identities and evade legal action, employing multiple vessel names, and falsifying registration documents, which have been in direct conflict with the region’s own food security and economic interests as well as international policies.
Foster a more cooperative culture of engagement with Western partners. Work to renew a regular and structured foreign, economic, and security policy dialogue with Atlantic states and achieve a broader normalization of relations with non-Atlantic third parties.
Enhance counterterrorism cooperation (in particular, Accra Initiative) with littoral states. This would contribute to closer maritime cooperation and interoperability among member states.
Leverage the potential of the Combined Exclusive Maritime Zone of Africa (CEMZA) and the Combined Maritime Task Force to enhance the continent’s relevance in regional maritime security and reaffirm its credentials as a primary maritime security provider.
Lawrence Dogli is the Programmes Manager at the Gulf of Guinea Maritime Institute. LinkedIn: Lawrence Dogli
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