By Morkporkpor Anku
Accra, Nov. 27, GNA – Mr Tom Nørring, the Danish Ambassador to Ghana, has rallied stakeholders in the maritime security sector to remain vigilant and alert to pirate attacks in the Gulf of Guinea (GoG) in spite of the recent decline in cases in the region.
While commending efforts that had contributed to the decline, he warned that “we don’t let our safeguards down” because “the risks are still there”.
Mr Nørring made the call at the launch of a Danish and United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) – funded study titled: “Pirates of the Niger Delta II: An update of piracy trends and legal finish in the Gulf of Guinea” in Accra.
The Kofi Annan International Peacekeeping Training Centre (KAPITC) also opened a two-day training on “Gender and Maritime Security in West Africa: Integrating the Women, Peace and Security (WPS) Agenda”, as part of the programme.
A total of 21 delegates from Cote D’Ivoire, Benin, Togo, Cameroun, Ghana, and Nigeria are participating in the training.
Mr Nørring encouraged stakeholders in the maritime sector to continuously focus on the issues despite a decline in pirate attacks.
“We do talk a lot about the reduction, and we are thankful for that. There is a lot of analysis as to the reasons behind the reduction, but I think it also must be a prudent approach that we don’t just let our safeguards down, close our eyes and move on.
“The risks are still there, and we have to continuously be focusing on that,” he said.
The GoG has been identified as the most dangerous shipping route in the world, accounting for more than 90 per cent of all kidnappings at sea in 2021.
Meanwhile, data from the International Maritime Bureau (IMB), a global database that reports piracy, indicate that only seven incidents of piracy were recorded in the (GoG) in the first quarter of 2022.
The IMB said only five reported cases were recorded in the first quarter of 2023.
Air Commodore David Anetey Akrong, Deputy Commandant, KAIPTC, expressed concerns that the extent to which women and men contributed to solutions in the sector was not consistently mirrored in policy implementation.
He said although countries within the region had ratified and integrated national action plans to implement the Women, Peace, and Security Agenda, the application had not been extended to the maritime governance and maritime security sector.
“It is, therefore, critical that deliberate and intentional policies are made taking into cognisance, the distinctive gender dynamics of the maritime sector within the GoG region,” he said.
Mr Thomas Kofi Alansi, Chairman of the Ghana Maritime Security Committee, and Director General of Ghana Maritime Authority, described worrying emerging trends in the shift from geographical location of piracy incidents from West Africa to Central Africa.
He said the development required urgent attention and concerted efforts to address the evolving challenges in the affected regions.
Ms Jane Kimani Kinyazui, Associate Programme Officer, UNODC, said the UNODC would continue to collaborate with the KAIPTC to train more maritime personnel to enhance the Women, Peace, and Security Agenda.
The ‘’Pirates of the Niger Delta II’’ is the second edition of the Danish-funded study titled “Pirates of the Niger Delta: between brown and blue waters” released in 2021.
The study is a comprehensive analysis of the recent decline in deep offshore kidnap-for-ransom incidents in the region.
The Study analyses piracy incident data from diverse sources, including the International Maritime Bureau, Stable Seas, Maritime Information Cooperation and Awareness Centre and CEMLAWS.
It also explored the modus operandi of piracy attacks during the period of decline, including the target of attacks, geographical focus and reach of attacks, among other issues.
GNA