Issue 6, July 2023
Welcome!
Reporting to you on our activities this past half-year in contributing to improving maritime security in West Africa, and our plans and projections for this quarter. Read on!
Contents
1. Editorial
2. Events
3. Activities
4. Announcements – Departures and upcoming events
1. Editorial
A new lease of life for SWAIMS
During the most recent SWAIMS Programme Steering Committee meeting on 15th June 2023, the Technical Assistance Team presented the workplan for activities planned for the remainder of 2023. Jointly chaired by Dr Isaac Armstrong for ECOWAS and Ms Urszula Solckiewicz for the EUD, the meeting generated a lively discussion on re-allocating office equipment and rigid-hull inflatable boats (RHIBs) to the maritime centres in all 12 coastal countries.
The scale and scope of activities is the most ambitious yet on the SWAIMS calendar. The project team embedded at the Regional Centre for Maritime Security in Western Africa (CRESMAO) has already kicked off with a workshop in Abidjan for young people in the post-harvest fishing sector. More are planned in Cabo Verde, Guinea, Mauritania and Senegal on such urgent topics as illegal migration and the security dimensions of marine pollution.
Meanwhile, the three private sector companies contracted are in the final stages of delivering equipment to the maritime centres. The team is surveying the beneficiaries to ascertain that the installation is satisfactory before making recommendations on payment.
In addition, the SWAIMS-coordinated MARSUROP support programme for maritime operations by national coastguards and navies that was pioneered in Liberia last year (reported in Issue 5 of SWAIMS News) is to be extended to other countries, beginning with Sierra Leone in August. More such operations are planned, including by Cabo Verde, hopefully involving the Multinational Maritime Coordination Centre for Zone G.
Meanwhile in neighbouring Liberia, the project is supporting a technical working group set up to validate a draft National Maritime Security Strategy. This connects with a stream of activities designed to help strengthen the governance framework for the maritime sector. It is complemented by continuing work on supporting the implementation of the Manual of Procedures for the ECOWAS Maritime Centres that was drafted and approved in December 2022.
More work is at planning stage including a concept to enhance the civil-society involvement in maritime security, supporting the CRESMAO Open Day and contributing to a review of the ECOWAS Integrated Maritime Strategy Action Plan.
For the SWAIMS team, there are busy days ahead.
2. Events
SWAIMS supports Côte d'Ivoire in improving its maritime strategy
Supporting ECOWAS coastal states in developing their national maritime strategies is one of the objectives of the SWAIMS Project. For the participating parties, this has two important benefits. First, the actual process of convening key maritime stakeholders to review the existing capabilities and challenges is an important reflective exercise in which priorities can be identified and agreed upon. Secondly, the strategy – once formulated – can lead to an action plan that enables governments to take the initiative in the maritime domain.
Many parties play a role in formulating such a document. SWAIMS has been working with partners to support the process including in Nigeria and the Gambia (see SWAIMS News, Issues 3 and 5). In Côte d’Ivoire, SWAIMS was requested by Mr Abroulaye Fofana, Permanent Secretary of the Secrétariat Permanent de l'Action de l'Etat en Mer de Côte d'Ivoire (SEPCIM–AEM), to support the update of the national maritime strategy. Consequently, SWAIMS commissioned Mr Michel Douti Nakmak – a Togolese expert in maritime governance, planning and monitoring and evaluation – to guide the production of a revised document.
In December 2022, Mr Nakmak reviewed the available documentation, held a series of interviews and smaller meetings with all stakeholders in the maritime domain and began working on an updated strategy. By January, a draft was submitted to all agencies involved for their review and comment. On 12th January 2023, a workshop was held in Abidjan for representatives from the National Security Council, navy, ports, maritime police, fisheries, the environment, L’Académie Régionale des Sciences et Techniques de la Mer (ARSTM), oceanological research, customs, the gendarmerie, the national police, the air force, the Ministry of Justice, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and civil society organisations, under the chairmanship of Mr Abroulaye Fofana.
Workshop participants (PHOTO: Agence Ivoirienne de Presse)
The workshop focused on proposals for improving the strategy for state action at sea in force in the country since 2014 inspired by, drawing from and contributing to the ECOWAS Integrated Maritime Strategy (EIMS).
The proposals span six strategic pillars, namely: maritime governance; maritime safety and security; protection of the marine and coastal environment; promotion of the maritime economy; promotion of awareness, communication and training; and development of international cooperation. The first five pillars fall under EIMS.
Mr Fofana welcomed the initiative taken by the ECOWAS Commission and the European Union through the SWAIMS Project and hoped that this project would continue to support maritime governance in Côte d'Ivoire and West Africa.
In particular, he expressed the hope that SWAIMS would help to provide the action plan for the Ivorian strategy with a financing plan that would serve as a guide for funders.
The revised maritime strategy will only come into force once it has been adopted by the relevant authorities, in accordance with Côte d'Ivoire's administrative procedures, following a national validation workshop.
High-level training for maritime professionals at the Atlantic Centre
Windswept Terceira island in the Azores archipelago, is home to Air Base Nº 4, a facility operated by Portugal’s Ministry of Defence, where the future Atlantic Centre, will be built. The centre is dedicated to finding solutions for making the Atlantic more secure and prosperous. To that end, it operates as a think tank to raise the knowledge base, provides a platform for policy dialogue and serves as a forum for capability development for defence and security forces from communities across the Atlantic.
From 8th to 12th May 2023, the centre ran its third course on maritime security for 32 maritime professionals from 20 countries. The theme of this year was Digital and technological challenges in the maritime sector. Cyber security marks a new threat worldwide, and not just for the wider Gulf of Guinea.
Course participants (PHOTO: Portuguese Navy)
The International Maritime Organization (IMO) has been warning for some time about maritime cyber risk as a potential hazard that may cause shipping-related operational, safety or security failures. This could be due to information or entire systems being corrupted, lost or compromised. As a matter of precaution therefore, it is essential to identify systems that are potentially vulnerable to cyber-attacks. These include:
- bridge systems
- cargo handling and management systems
- propulsion and machine management and power control systems
- access control systems
- passenger-facing public networks
- administrative and crew welfare systems
- communication systems
Viruses can be inadvertently downloaded from the internet or unwittingly transmitted via an infected pen drive. They can then easily enter the Electronic Chart Display and Information System (ECDIS) with potentially disastrous consequences. The prospect of a targeted attack on a ship in a critical sea-lane is reminiscent of the 2021 incident when a vessel ran aground in the Suez Canal wreaking havoc to global supply chains.
The course consisted of lectures and presentations with a tabletop exercise at the end. Much precautionary work is required for shoring up the security levels of existing systems in the region.
For participants from the ECOWAS countries, an extra day was added to raise awareness on initiatives supported by the SWAIMS Project. Francis Omiunu of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) elaborated on the Supplementary Act for the transfer of persons suspected of piracy and its implementing Standard Operating Procedures. The Act will be a game changer in the regional fight against piracy. The UNODC presentation was followed by training on collecting and preserving evidence on board of a ship. Cmdr Rui Amado, from the SWAIMS Technical Assistance Team assisted with technical expertise and backstopping throughout the course.
More, including photos
European Maritime Day (EMD) 2023: Implications for EU activities in the Gulf of Guinea
Held on an annual basis in different coastal cities of the European Union, the EMD seeks to foster and promote maritime initiatives. EMD 2023 was held from 24th to 25th May in Brest, France.
One relevant take away from this year’s event was the emphasis on strategic autonomy. For policymakers in the EU, the successive crisis of the COVID pandemic followed by the war in Ukraine served as stark and urgent reminders that supply chains are fragile and that the free passage of shipping through international sea-lanes has to be protected.
It was in this context that SWAIMS joined the ENMAR and GOGIN projects to make the business case on the strategic significance of the Gulf of Guinea, the acute security challenges and the achievements that have been made by the regional security system – particularly by ECOWAS – with support from various EU-funded initiatives.
For the EU, the Gulf of Guinea is significant because of the relatively close proximity, strong historic connections and the volume of trade from and to the EU passing through. It was the region where the first external strategy was launched in 2014, and where the Coordinated Maritime Presences (CMP) programme was piloted in 2021 (See the latest EU Gulf of Guinea Strategy and Action Plan.)
EMD was an opportunity to showcase the achievements of the EU’s different projects, including the strengthening of legal and strategy frameworks, the equipment that is being delivered to maritime centres, navies and coastguards across the Gulf of Guinea, and the training that is provided under SWAIMS, as well the YARIS system developed by GOGIN. It was also an opportunity for discussing ways forward to strengthen the relationship between the EU, its member states and western Africa. There were discussions on listening to the priorities of local actors and exploring ideas for reshaping technical assistance from an episodic and transitory approach to a continuous and better coordinated permanent footing.
Security is one vital aspect where the EU’s competencies span across safety, security and defence. With 86 stands and more than 1,500 visitors, EMD’s magnitude is clear. And while security is one amongst many initiatives, it is also clear that security is a critical and foundational aspect, fundamental to the smooth running of all the entire broad-ranging activities presented.
While fishing and salt-panning are ancient human practices, there are also exciting new enterprises in which the EU continues to be a viable and dynamic partner, be this about generating energy from offshore windfarms, producing food from seaweed plantations, or running communications cables across the ocean floor.
Looking at the increasingly fraught competition for finite resources, the question of joint management is ever more urgent. Nowhere is this as pertinent as in stock management of migratory fish species, and birds, albeit on a smaller scale.
By dint of contiguous geography, West Africa and Europe will increasingly need joint and coordinated planning to ensure sustainable resource management and equitable flow of benefits to all parties as they each tap into the full potential of the Blue Economy.
To that end, projects like SWAIMS and PESCAO where design and management is shared between ECOWAS and the EU are pioneering new forms of partnership. A suitably adapted model, integrating the lessons learnt so far, could well be applied to areas like wind farms and fish farming. Proposals may well be worth presenting at the next EMD in Svendborg, Denmark, in 2024.
3. Activities
Manual of Procedures for ECOWAS Maritime Centres
From 13th to 15th December 2023, a working group comprising experts and stakeholders met in Abuja to validate a draft Manual of Procedures for the ECOWAS maritime centres.
Chaired by Col Abdourahmane Dieng, head of ECOWAS Regional Security Division (RSD), the meeting brought together the heads and chief operational officers of the ECOWAS multinational maritime coordination centres (MMCCs) for Zones E, F and G, and the Regional Centre for Maritime Security in Western Africa (CRESMAO; Centre Régional de Sécurité Maritime de l'Afrique de l'Ouest). Representatives from the Interregional Coordination Centre (ICC) and Centre régional de sécurité maritime d'Afrique Centrale (CRESMAC) also attended as observers.
This Manual of Procedures is the first constructive effort to standardise and attempt to harmonise the operations and administrative procedures of the ECOWAS maritime centres. The lead author, Captain Nuno Mónica de Oliveira, had the opportunity to visit the MMCCs in Accra (Zone E) and Cotonou (Zone F) as well as CRESMAO in Abidjan. Through in-depth discussions with directors and operations officers, observing the staff at work, and regular consultation with the maritime centre and the SWAIMS Technical Assistance Team (TAT), the consultants gained a good grasp of centre work routine. Consequently, the Manual of Procedures they submitted was designed to meet the essential daily needs of centre operations.
Cap Tukur Mohamed, Programme Officer for Maritime Security and Safety at RSD, reiterated the importance of the Manual of Procedures for the ECOWAS Maritime Centres.
SWAIMS has steadfastly supported the process of formulating the manual since the work first commenced in 2020. Activities peaked in the course of 2022, resulting in a comprehensive and robust document that is rich in detail and information.
Completing the task within the anticipated timeframe is a point of pride for the SWAIMS Technical Assistance Team and ECOWAS RSD. Cmdr Rui Amado, the SWAIMS Maritime Security Adviser, remarked that it was the excellent cooperation between the ECOWAS' Maritime Cell, the heads of the maritime centres and the project team that made it possible.
The next step is for the document to be adapted for each centre, then tested by each of them.
Thereafter, "For this important document to be signed by the President of the Commission and fully implemented by the ECOWAS Maritime Centres, we must follow the process of validation for such an instrument. This involves the revision of the Manual by the Member States and its validation by the Chief of Naval Staff of ECOWAS. After this process, the document will be submitted to the Office of the President for consideration and signature,” said Mrs Odette Kouao, Maritime Legal and Policy Programme Officer at ECOWAS RSD.
4. SAN Profile
SAN-speak: Voices of the SWAIMS Alumni Network
We introduced the SWAIMS Alumni Network (SAN) in SWAIMS News Issue 1 and have faithfully carried a profile in each issue. Thus, the story continues...
Yali Mariam is a 32-year-old Senegalese woman, married and mother of two children. Ever since she was a child, she always wanted to do what women couldn't or thought was hard to do. Aviation and the navy have always been her favourite professions and when the opportunity arises to join the navy, she does not hesitate.
Yali therefore took her first steps at the Maritime School of Senegal in 2012 in the ‘wheelhouse-navigation’ speciality. In the field of navigation, she started as Bridge Watch Officer as an applicant. Then she was appointed to be part of the crew of a high seas patrol boat as Deputy Watch Officer, then assigned to the Centre for Simulation and Naval Training as Navigation Instructor. For 11 months, she did a specialisation in Hydrography and Navigation in Brazil, which allowed her to join the Naval Simulation and Training Centre again.
Currently, Yali is an Assistant Navigation Instructor and responsible for the ‘wheelhouse-navigation’ courses at the Senegalese National Navy School. She aspires to become a naval officer to command a ship. She also wants to combine her two specialities – navigation and hydrography – with a strengthening of knowledge and skills in these two areas.
The balance between work and home is not easy for her, but she has an understanding husband who always encourages her to move forward and especially her mother who helps her a lot with the children.
Today, she is the pride of her parents and has become a model for those around her even if she has a feeling of incompleteness in her progress.
Yali can be reached through the SAN Secretariat.
5. Announcements
Farewell and sail on Urszula Solkiewicz!
Urszula Solkiewicz (left in photo), the SWAIMS programme manager at the European Union Delegation to Nigeria and ECOWAS, was posted to Abuja in 2019.
 At the time, the Gulf of Guinea (GoG) was the world’s hotspot for piracy according to the United Nations Security Council. And the International Maritime Bureau (IMB) reported that the GoG then accounted for more than 40% of global piracy incidents.
The EU was working with ECOWAS at different levels to assist its member states in tackling maritime insecurity, including through the SWAIMS Project. Having only started the same year as Urszula came to Abuja (2019), SWAIMS was yet to fully get into its stride. At the same time, the project team was being reconstituted. Then came the pandemic. Many colleagues repatriated, and Urszula found herself with extra tasks and unanticipated responsibilities. But she rose to the occasion, established an excellent working relationship with ECOWAS, and guided the project team along their course at a critical startup phase.
As SWAIMS now embarks on its sunset, Urszula’s tour of duty in Abuja has come to a close. Fittingly too at a time when GoG piracy has dramatically fallen, and Nigeria removed from the IMB watch-list.
It has been an honour and a privilege for us at SWAIMS to have had Urszula’s guidance, support, insights and wise counsel as our programme manager.
Please join us in wishing Urszula well in her future endeavours at her next port of call.
Upcoming events
- Webinar – Fight against illegal emigration by sea of young people from West Africa
Early September
- CRESMAO Open Day – Theme: Public–private sector partnership: A necessity for achieving the objectives of the ECOWAS Integrated Maritime Strategy
21 September 2023
Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire
- Workshop – Involvement of civil society in the fight against maritime insecurity in Mauritania
22nd to 23rd August 2023
Nouakchott, Mauritania
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