African leaders have been urged by President Akufo-Addo to band together to combat the illicit activities that are wreaking havoc along the continent’s coastlines.
He emphasized how urgently cooperative efforts and group accountability are needed to address marine security concerns throughout Africa.
President Akufo-Addo emphasized the significance of increased cooperation among African fleets during his remarks on Tuesday at the opening of the third Naval Infantry Leaders Symposium-Africa (NILS-A) and the second annual African Maritime Forces Summit (AMFS) in Accra.
In order to counter current threats and improve maritime awareness along the coasts, he argued for more frequent joint exercises.
“There are increasing numbers of other incidences occurring in the territorial and international waters across the entire African continent. Illegal oil bunker, kidnapping at sea for ransom, illegal fishing, terrorism and drug trafficking are common threats across our territorial waters.”
“These transnational crimes do not only threaten national and regional peace and security, but they also come at a great cost to the economies of both coastal and noncoastal states.
“In the face of these challenges, it is imperative that we foster greater cooperation and collaboration amongst African maritime forces by working together, sharing intelligence and coordinating our efforts so we can address effectively maritime security threats and safeguard our maritime domain,” he stated.
