Let us work to end piracy in Gulf of Guinea – Akufo-Addo urges African countries
President Akufo Addo has called for an aggressive and workable solution to address the activities of pirates operating in the Gulf of Guinea.
He claims that by providing these solutions, the impacted nation’s security, prosperity, and safety will be guaranteed.
“It is important that we have some serious discussion on these items in order to come up with strategies geared towards strengthening peace and security in winning the fight against maritime-related crimes in the region, such as piracy, illegal unreported and, unregulated fishing, arms trafficking, pollution of the environment, smuggling, fuel and crude oil theft.”
The president made these assertions while addressing a conference of the Gulf of Guinea Commission on Tuesday, April 25.
Seizures of ships, kidnappings, and murders have become dominant features on the gulf by miscreants parading as pirates.
Over the last 15 years, container ships, fishing vessels, and oil tankers in the region have been the targets.
Of the 90 global piracy and armed robbery incidents reported between January and September 2022, 13 have been reported in the Gulf of Guinea region, compared to 27 over the same period in 2021.
Nonetheless, President Akufo-Addo urged the affected countries, including Ghana, to work together in order to reverse the trend.
He also beseeched Members of the State of the Gulf of Guinea Commission to demonstrate more political commitment in its affairs, by paying their statutory contributions and attending the commission’s statutory meetings at the highest and most appropriate levels.
Furthermore, President Akufo-Addo made a proposal for a possible expansion of the membership of the Commission to include all 19 coastal states of the geopolitical Gulf of Guinea.
This, he emphasised, was “for effective collaboration of our navies, Coast Guards, and other relevant maritime security agencies in the geopolitical space of the Gulf of Guinea.”
Source: Ghana News
