Kofi Ampeah Woode
The Ghana Navy (GN) hosted the 2024 cohort of the SIREN Academy, and gave the students an operational overview in the Gulf of Guinea (GoG), under the caption “Maritime Security in the GoG; Challenges, Strategies and the Role of the Ghana Navy”.
The visit took place on Thursday 24 October 2024, and the visitors were briefed by the Acting Director, Naval Intelligence (DNI) – Commander Philip Odoi-Narh, at the Owusu-Ansah Audotorium of the Naval Headquarters, Burma Camp, Accra.
The Director, SIREN Academy, which is aboard the French Amphibious Helicopter Carrier VIXMUDE – Major Emmanuel Vigniet, giving a brief of the academy, said the concept was developed about 3 years ago, with the Yaounde Architecture, in partnership with the GoG region, to build on the platform of a sea training for officers or leaders from maritime administrative entities and agencies.
The training, he said, has brought together 32 trainees from 17 nations, in 2024, with a purpose to be trained by international partners like Interpol, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crimes (UNODC), International Security Management Institute (ISMI), and the Fisheries Committee for the West Central Gulf of Guinea (FCWC).
He continued to say that the academy provides training on the various topics of maritime state action at sea, such as illegal fishing, counter narcotic, trafficking, anti-pollution, search and rescue operations, mixing theoretical academic training with practical exercises.
The one-and-half months of maritime training of the Siren Academy, is exciting in the sense that, trainees can exert themselves in the different threats that are encountered in the GoG, Major Vigniet said.
He also said the Siren Acdemy training for 2024 – which moves from one country to another, engaging different national and regional organizations, commenced for a week in Toulon, France, and then embarked on sea voyages from 30 September, and will complete in Pointe-Noire, Congo, after already engaging the Ivorian Navy, and the West Africa Reginal Maritime Security Centre (CRESMAO), in Abidjan.
In his presentation, Cdr P Odoi-Narh said the current situation with the global climate, in terms of piracy, is favourable, per the subject of maritime safety and security, within the framework of ocean governance, as increasingly, sea awareness is portraying that the oceans possesses about 70% of what is required to regulate climate change.
Of maritime security and protection, the Acting DNI said as countries in the gulf, such as Ghana, Angola, Senegal and la Cote d’Ivoire engulf in oil and gas production and infrastructure development within the GoG, whiles others make new discoveries upstream, it would impact on the importance of maritime security and protection.
He also advocated for littoral states to take a good look at the development of offshore wind power capabilities, which is an area that is heavily being researched into and used, for in the not too distant future, inland waters show the possibilities of drying up.
Then he spoke of maritime security dynamics in the GoG, where he showed that by the end 2023, compared to 2022 and 2021, issues related to kidnap for ransom, hijackings, and some closely linked activities on land that impact maritime safety and security, had significantly reduced, from 81 incidents in 2020 to 22 incidents in 2023 – indeed, for the entire year, there were 3 major piracy events that were recorded.
Being midful that the GoG still has the potential to return to be the epicenter of maritime kidnapping events within the global oceans, he called for greater regional cooperation and coordination, and increased patrolling.
On the subject of political activism having some impact on general maritime activites, he recalled that in 2023, there were coastal states within the GoG domain who had politically-related incidents that had some impact on general shipping, such as the four attempted coups, where one was successful in Gabon.
In 2020, a total of 132 incidents of varied classification were recorded, including piracy, hijackings, armed robbery, and issues related to being fired upon, amongst others, dropped from a high of 132 to 34 by the end of 2023, while up to August 2024, 25 incidents have been recorded.
He clarified that a significant number of all the incidents that were recorded in 2023 and 2024, have all been related to theft activities within inshore areas, harbors, and anchor regions – which are not what is known to be the hardcore piracy, which is clearly captured in United Nations Convention on Laws of the Sea (UNCLOS) Article 101.
UNCLOS Article 101 defines piracy as any such activity that occurs outside the territorial jurisdiction of any State, beyond 12 nautical miles.
He also cited issues of drugs and people smuggling that continue to impact Zone G, along the shores of Bermuda, Senegal, Mauritania, right down into the Grand Canaries – which has also seen low number of incidents since 2021, from criminal gangs, although they are metamorphosing into other things:
Cdr Odoi-Narh noted that in 2024, there have been significant hauling and arrest or interception of drugs within the northwestern part of Zone F, into Zone G’s territory, where Senegal and Mauritania have been combating the crime, however, a statistical purview from the UNODC focusing on global transnational organized crime movements, shows a lot more of these substances beginning to transfer through the GoG.
Ghana used its position in collaboration with Norway, to spearhead a United Nations Security Council Resolution 2634, to highlight the situation of piracy and maritime insecurity in the GoG, and the need for increased collaboration to contain the situation, the Acting DNI asserted.
He added that clear commitment to exercise Ghana-Africa Nemo, led by France; Sansevier-Guinea Express, led by the United States Africa Command and the Fifth Fleet; GN’s maritime-to-Earth exercises and operations, and other maritime activities that bring all players and involved countries on board, are testaments to the nation’s contribution to the GoG improved situation.
SIREN Academy, onboard Dixmude, will be participating in EXERCISE GRAND AFRICAN NEMO, which is to commence in Accra, on Monday 4 November 2024.
Present at the visit was the Flag Officer Commanding, Riverine Command, GN – Commodore James Adongo Agambire; and the Commanding Officer of DIXMUDE – Naval Captain Jocelyn Delrieu.
By Kofi Ampeah-Woode
