Chiefs of Naval Staff from ECOWAS member states recently met in Accra, Ghana, to intensify efforts against rising maritime security threats in the Gulf of Guinea.
According to a statement by the Acting Director of Information, Nigerian Navy, Capt. Abiodun Folorunsho, the fifth meeting of the ECOWAS Sub-Committee of Chiefs of Naval Staff, held between February 16 and 20, focused on terrorism, drug trafficking, and illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing.
Folorunsho said Nigeria’s Chief of Naval Staff, Vice Adm. Idi Abbas, led the discussions, which also involved ECOWAS Commissioner for Political Affairs, Peace and Security, Amb. Abdel-Fatau Musah, directors of regional maritime security centres, and Multinational Maritime Coordination Centres (MMCC) Zones E, F, and G.
Representatives from the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), the European Union-African Chamber of Commerce, and the Commander of the Combined Maritime Task Force (CMTF) were also in attendance.
Musah praised progress under the ECOWAS Integrated Maritime Strategy, highlighting operations such as SAFE DOMAIN in Zone E, ANOUANZE in Zone F, and Joint Maritime Patrols in MMCC Zone G. He also stressed the importance of coordination with landlocked countries like Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger to combat terrorism and transnational organized crime.
The meeting underscored environmental-security concerns in the Lake Chad Basin and lauded Nigeria’s FALCON EYE Surveillance System for improving maritime situational awareness in the Gulf of Guinea.
A major outcome was the renewed push to operationalize the CMTF through a coalition of willing nations. Côte d’Ivoire, Gambia, Ghana, Liberia, and Sierra Leone formally indicated interest in joining Nigeria.
The task force is expected to be flagged off in Lagos between May 31 and June 1, with Nigeria contributing three ships, a helicopter, eight vehicles, and a temporary furnished office to support the initiative. Designed as a rapid-response force, the CMTF will leverage intelligence from the Yaoundé Architecture to address evolving regional threats.
Capt. Folorunsho noted that Vice Adm. Abbas’ strategic leadership highlighted Nigeria’s pivotal role in regional maritime security, signaling heightened expectations for sustained operations and enhanced collaboration across West Africa.