With the extension of the legal evaluation mission carried out in Guinea in May 2019, a team from the GoGIN project and centres from the Yaoundé Architecture went to Conakry from 22 to 27 September 2019 to respond to the maritime prefecture’s proposals. The GoGIN team was made up of the project coordinator, the training and technology coordinator, experts in training and education, and the West African regional coordinator. The team was joined by the CRESMAO deputy director, and the director of CMC zone F.
The team had a triple objective:
- Implement, over the course of a week, a crisis response training for the benefit of maritime prefecture services and maritime administrations;
- Participate in the analysis and contribute to lessons learnt on aero maritime crisis management in the case of the helicopter crash on the Conakry coast in August 2019;
- Meet with Guinean authorities and present the GoGIN project to the European Union delegation and French representatives.
The crisis management training began with a theoretical lesson on the structure of maritime information database, the organisation and functioning of a crisis management centre. It was followed by case studies of antipollution operations and then focused on the preparation of the 26 September exercise paper. It gathered 30 participants belonging to administrations in change of State action at sea, under the coordination of the maritime prefecture.
The maritime prefecture coordinates the system of State action at sea in Guinea (decree signed in 2019; implementing provisions under way); it is served by staff from various administrations (fisheries, environment, transport, police, Navy, etc) and implements the maritime operations centre (MOC).
During the official closing, the director of the cabinet of the Ministry of Defence expressed his satisfaction at the mission, which was responding to a request from Guinean maritime authorities wishing to reinforce the competency of human resources and be accompanied in the writing of emergency plans in the maritime domain (in particular SAR and Antipol)
It is appropriate to highlight the quality of preparation and organisation of the maritime operations centre of the maritime prefecture and demonstrate the Guinean will to take ownership over the management of the maritime domain.
This type of mission associating visits to authorities and diplomatic representations, training activities and the presence of the centres of the Yaoundé Architecture (YA), composes an efficient and effective formula to ensure the visibility of the project, the European Union, and the YA.