The Africa Maritime Security Forum was held in Dakar from January 20th-22nd 2020 to celebrate the 45th anniversary of Senegal Navy.
About twenty high ranking speakers (Chief of Staff of the Navy of the Guinean Gulf countries and major partner countries) addressed all the fundamental issues of maritime surveillance in front of an assembly of more than 300 participants.
More than 30 exhibitors and strategic partners were equally present (security corporations, international projects, cyber security and surveillance system suppliers, etc). With their own stand, the European projects GoGIN and WeCAPS from the Critical maritime Routes programme, were able to explain their respective activities in detail.
The following main topics were addressed:
- Maritime security requirements and preparedness in view of offshore resource exploitation (Chief of Staff of the Senegalese Navy),
- Technological transfer concepts (Israel Shipyards Ltd),
- For an efficient conduct of maritime surveillance patrols (Representant of the Nigerian Navy),
- Coordination and implementation challenges of maritime security activities in the Gulf of Guinea,
- Training the next generation of African maritime leaders (Representant of the Cameroon Navy),
- Coordination between maritime authorities and the oil sector,
- Innovative platforms to improve the interoperability of the maritime sector,
- Integrated governance and maritime security strategy (Chief of Staff of the Gabon Navy),
- The maritime and fluvial challenges in the Gulf of Guinea. Issue of continental waters in the Yaoundé Architecture (Chief of Staff of the Congolese Navy),
- Framework for regional cooperation against maritime crimes (ECOWAS),
- Combatting illicit migrations and trafficking in African maritime areas (Lieutenant admiral Jean Louis Lozier, Atlantic Maritime Prefet, Representant of the French Navy),
- Improving transnational operations to reinforce maritime security.
The following key action points emerged from the different discussions:
- A regional and interregional cooperation is essential,
- Upgrading the equipment is needed,
- An interoperable shared information system would be relevant.