Kofi Ampeah Woode
The Kofi Annan International Peacekeeping Training Centre (KAIPTC), has hosted a twin event for a two-day workshop on “Gender and Maritime Security in West Africa: Integrating the Women, Peace and Security (WPS) Agenda”, and the launch of the updated book on the pirates of the Niger Delta, by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) and its Global Maritime Crime Program (GMCP).
The program which occurred at the Schroeder Hall of KAIPTC on Monday 27 November, 2023, is a collaborative arrangement of the Danish Gulf of Guinea Maritime Security Programme (GoG MSP), which falls under the Peace and Stabilization Engagement (PSE 1) being implemented by UNODC.
It aims to provide support to the strengthening of regional capabilities and capacities for maritime domain awareness (MDA) and response, as well as a longer-term institutional strengthening of maritime governance.
There also are three other interlinked Peace and Stabilisation Engagements, which are; Support to Regional Maritime Policing implemented by INTERPOL, Integrated Responses to Threats to Maritime Safety and Security in the GoG Maritime Domain, implemented by KAIPTC and the Maritime Domain Awareness, and Operational Response implemented by the Defence Command, Denmark (DCD).
All these projects are funded through the Danish Peace and Stabilization Fund (PSF), which draws from Denmark’s Ministries of Defence and Foreign Affairs sources.
Speaking as the Guest of Honour at the ceremony, the Deputy Commandant, KAIPTC – Air Commodore (A/Cdre) David Anetey Akrong, said the maritime domain is of critical importance to the economic, social, and cultural realities of states in West and Central Africa.
He said these challenges intersect with the broader concerns of gender parity, peace, and security, and has a disproportionate impact on coastal communities, howbeit, the extent to which women contribute to solutions is not consistently mirrored in policy implementation.
He continued that the Women, Peace, and Security (WPS) Agenda, is a dynamic and evolving framework established by the United Nations Resolution 1325 (2000), and expanded through 9 additional resolutions.
The WPS agenda, he said, rests on four (4) fundamental Pillars: Participation, Protection, Prevention, and Relief and Recovery, but the agenda lacks direct reference to maritime matters, with no national, regional, or continental policies developed to guide the actions of maritime security stakeholders.
A/Cdre DA Akrong stated how critical deliberate and intentional policies would be in taking into cognisance, the distinctive gender dynamics of the maritime sector within the GoG region, and that empowering women in the GoG is a matter of social justice, an imperative for ensuring the safety, security, and sustainability of the oceans.
The 2-day workshop, which targets maritime law enforcement personnel from five countries, namely; Benin, Cote d’Ivoire, Ghana, Nigeria, and Togo, aims at enhancing participants’ understanding of the intersection between gender, maritime security, and the WPS agenda within the West African context.
Participants were expected to gain increased knowledge of the gendered dimensions of maritime crime, responses, and capacity, and be enabled to develop awareness of solutions to bridge gender gaps in maritime enforcement, and advocate for gender-inclusive policies at various levels.
THE PUBLICATION LAUNCH
On the launch of the updated publication of the UNODC and the GMCP, labelled “Pirates of the Niger Delta: An Update on Piracy Trends and Legal Finish”, which is an update of an earlier publication in 2021, the Deputy Commandant said the document would contribute to the growing literature of women in maritime security.
He urged researchers, students, practitioners, policymakers, and stakeholders far and wide, to realize the evolution and progress in the maritime landscape of the GoG, and of the globe, through the publication.
Previously, a research was conducted for the UNODC in 2021, to assess the gendered nature and dimensions of maritime crimes, responses, and capacity in five selected West African countries, identifying and analysing threats to maritime security.
The paper also investigated the gendered dimensions of different types of maritime crimes, their impacts, and responses in the region, and provided background material for the development of training manuals, aimed at providing a comprehensive understanding of the concepts of gender, maritime security, and the WPS agenda.
The training manual which focused on the application of governance policies in West Africa, was initiated by the UNODC and led by the consultant – Dr Ifesinachi Okafor –Yarwood with support from the KAIPTC.
Dr. Katja Lindskov Jacobsen University of Copenhagen, is the lead author, with co-authors – François Morizur, Tarila Marclint Ebiede, and Mr Francis Omiunu of the UNODC, with the KAIPTC Research team providing research help.
Present at the function included the Ambassador of Denmark to Ghana – His Excellency Tom Norring; the Associate Program Officer for UNODC – Ms Jane Kimane Kinyanzui; Deputy Director General, Ghana Maritime Authority – Cdre Steve Darbo (Rtd).
By Kofi Ampeah-Woode
