Prevention of piracy, armed robbery against ships and illicit maritime activity in west and central Africa was on the agenda at a meeting of the G7 Group of Friends of the Gulf of Guinea in Lagos, Nigeria, on 11-12 December, IMO announced.
The meeting reviewed progress made in implementing the Yaoundé Code of Conduct, which was signed by governments in the region, in 2013, to enhance cooperation to counter piracy and armed robbery at sea and other illicit maritime activity.
According to IMO, the meeting also stressed the importance for States in the region to promote and implement a combined effort to improve maritime security within their areas of jurisdiction and responsibility, while it also looked at gaps in capacity-building and assessing needs in equipment.
Additionally, the heads of the Economic Communities of the West African States (ECOWAS) and of the Economic Communities of the Central African States (ECCAS) were updating participants on the status of the Yaoundé-Process, as well as the latest developments of its legal and operational framework, in particular in establishing the Maritime Multi-National Coordination Centers.
Finally, the meeting provided the opportunity to gather the shipping industry’s views on challenges ahead. Assuming the Presidency of the G7 Group of Friends of the Gulf of Guinea (G7++ FoGG), Italy is hosting the meeting in Nigeria.
The Code of Conduct aims at the repression of piracy, armed robbery against ships, and illicit maritime activity in west and central Africa and was adopted formally in Yaoundé in June 2013 by Heads of State or their representatives from 25 West and Central African countries, including 13 Presidents, as well as implementation of the MoU developed by IMO and the Maritime Organization for West and Central Africa (MOWCA).
