EXCLUSIVE: 34 Navies Relocate to Nigeria for Maritime Security Conference

Vice Admiral Dele Ezeoba, Chief of Naval Staff 

Tagged 'Delivering maritime security to Africa', the ogoing conference which was organised by the Nigerian Navy (NN), in partnership with the International Quality and Productivity Centre (IQPC), was instituted to address maritime insecurity in the GoG.

Some of the countries which participated are Spain, Ghana, Ivory Coast, Germany, Saudi Arabia, United States of America, Cameroon, Malaysia, France, Dubai, Togo, Pakistan, Canada, Tanzania, South Asia, Netherlands and South Africa amongst others.

In his speech, the Chief of Naval Staff (CNS), Vice Admiral Dele Ezeoba, said the presence of the highly placed personalities across and outside Africa evokes  an important message on the commitment towards finding solutions to the maritime threats.

He said, "Primarily, the current security breaches in the maritime space around Africa is of serious concern to all of us gathered here as well as the larger African and global community.

"What is perhaps more disturbing is that much of the activities associated with the evolving threat scenario around Africa's maritime domain are directed at the economic lifeline of both littoral and landlocked states.

In other words, the scourge of various forms of illegalities such as sea robbery, piracy, human trafficking, particularly pipeline vandalism and crude oil theft including degradation of the maritime environment constitute serious challenges to the development of Africa."

The Minister of State for Defence, Erelu Obada, while speaking said the conference symbolises a strategic collaborative initiative between the NN and international maritime stakeholders.

She said it also signifies the feasibility of a potent strategy  and civil-military synergy to mitigate the increase of vulnerabilities in African waters,, adding that economic opportunities abound in African waters. 

Also speaking, the Ghana Navy CNS, Rear Admiral Geoffrey Mawuli Biekro, also called on navies in the sub region to partner together and protect the maritime domain from being used to perpetuate  illegalities.