Security experts confer on W/Africa maritime security

More than 60 participants from the 20 coastal member states of the Port Management Association of West and Central Africa (PMAWCA) joined international experts for a seminar on maritime and port security held in Cotonou, Republic of Benin, which was organised by the International Maritime Organisation (IMO).

Experts from France, the United States Coast Guard, the United Nations Regional Office for Central Africa (UNOCA), the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), and the international police organisation (Interpol) shared their knowledge and respective areas of expertise on a range of issues, including the practical implementation of security measure in ports, the facilitation of maritime traffic, the suppression of piracy and armed robbery against ships, dealing with illicit maritime trafficking, and countering transnational organised crime.

“Going forward, PMAWCA will build on the issues raised in this seminar to create a network for sharing port and maritime security information, intelligence gathering and information sharing as the association seeks to contribute towards the wider effort to strengthen maritime security,” said Michael Luguje, PMAWCA secretary-general.

This seminar complements the maritime security assistance programme conducted by the organisation in the region, including the integrated coast guard function network project and the recent series of national table-top exercises.

The seminar is also an example of the spirit of cooperation outlined in the recently-signed Code of Conduct concerning the prevention of piracy, armed robbery against ships and illicit maritime activity in West and Central Africa, which aims to build capacity in West and Central Africa to counter piracy, armed robbery and other illicit acts at sea.

Meanwhile, Koji Sekimizu, IMO secretary-general, has announced the creation of a multi-donor trust fund for West and Central Africa to support maritime security capacity-building activities in the region.