The Chief of the Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Idi Abbas has joined his counterparts from across West Africa at the Fifth Meeting of the ECOWAS Sub-Committee of Chiefs of the Naval Staff held in Ghana, where discussions focused on strengthening regional maritime security, enhancing naval cooperation, and tackling emerging threats within the Gulf of Guinea.
The Naval Chiefs were joined by the ECOWAS Commissioner for Political Affairs, Peace and Security (ECOWAS-CPAPS), Ambassador Abdel-Fatau Musah, Directors of the West Africa regional Maritime Security Centre and the Multinational Maritime Coordination Centres (MMCC) Zones E, F and G.
Other attendees include the representatives of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) and the European Union-African Chamber of Commerce, as well as the Commander of the Combined Maritime Task Force (CMTF).
At the meeting, the ECOWAS-CPAPS applauded the progress made since the adoption of the ECOWAS Integrated Maritime Strategy, with the conduct of Operation SAFE DOMAIN in Zone E, Operation ANOUANZE in Zone F, and Joint Maritime Patrols in MMCC Zone G.
He underscored the need for broader security cooperation to address terrorism, drug trafficking, and illegal, Unreported and Unregulated fishing, emphasising the need for better coordination with landlocked countries such as Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger to address terrorism and other Transnational Organised Crime.
The Commissioner acknowledged Nigeria’s sophisticated FALCON EYE Surveillance system and leadership in the fight against maritime criminality in the Gulf of Guinea (GoG).
He further urged the meeting to devise steps to address the receding water levels in the Lake Chad Basin. In line with the Committee of the Chiefs of Defence Staff approval to operationalise the CMTF through a coalition of ready nations, 5 countries expressed interest in joining Nigeria.
The countries include Cote d’Ivoire, The Gambia, Ghana, Liberia, and Sierra Leone.
The flag-off of the CMTF is scheduled to take place in Lagos from 31 May to 1 June 2026.
The meeting praised Nigeria’s actions as the host country of the CMTF, noting its support for the launch of the CMTF by designating 3 ships, 1 helicopter, 8 vehicles, and a temporary furnished office in Lagos.
The CMTF is expected to be a ready-to-deploy force capable of rapid, coordinated regional maritime security responses, leveraging information from maritime centres within the Yaounde Architecture to address the growing, complex security threats in the GoG.
The Chief of the Naval Staff’s strategic engagements at the meeting reaffirm Nigeria’s role as a key player in maritime security in the region, especially with the secured commitments from willing navies to join the CMTF.
His unwavering commitment to collaborating with partner navies under the Yaoundé Code of Conduct is expected to enhance regional coordination, promote the exchange of best practices, and help develop an African-led solution for a more effective collective response to maritime threats in the GoG and across West Africa’s maritime domain.