What are the challenges facing the ECOWAS maritime domain?

West African countries, either individually or collectively, are confronted with growing and multifaceted challenges to their maritime domain.

• The main concerns relate to overexploitation of marine resources, rapid degradation of the marine environment through pollution, coastal erosion, and rise in sea level, and criminal acts at sea.
• Piracy, armed robbery at sea, smuggling, drug and human trafficking, illegal, un-reported and unregulated (IUU) fishing and illegal migration also have links to transnational criminal groups.
• The lack of security and safety of maritime navigation in the ECOWAS waters has made sea transportation more risky, expensive and deadly.

These challenges impede the realisation of the full potential of the EMD, undermine efforts aimed at accelerating economic development and integration in the region, and thus aggravate poverty and political instability.