The Institute for Security Studies (ISS) partnered with UK policy forum Wilton Park to host a high-level event in South Africa on implementing Africa’s maritime security strategies. The event was attended by researchers, diplomats and naval leaders from 21 countries and international organisations.

The event put African perspectives on maritime security before a global audience, including the International Maritime Organisation (IMO), Royal Danish Defence College and the foreign ministries of the UK, France and Norway.

The ISS has a long involvement in maritime policy and its Dakar and Pretoria offices have dedicated maritime security researchers. The ISS was approached by Wilton Park based on its reputation, and role in developing a maritime strategy for West African states.

‘We chose to work with the ISS because of its profound understanding of African security issues, and its established contacts in Africa and internationally in the maritime security domain,’ said Wilton Park programme director Robert Grant.

We chose to work with the ISS because of its profound understanding of African maritime security issues

The ISS designed the event agenda and desired outcomes with Wilton Park, identified the most suitable speakers and liaised with South Africa’s Department of International Relations and Cooperation.

The African Union’s Agenda 2063 sees the marine economy as a major contributor to growth, and Africa’s Integrated Maritime Strategy 2050 (AIMS 2050) recognises the vast wealth creation potential of Africa’s oceans, lakes and rivers. Thirty-eight African countries have a combined coastline of more than 26 000 nautical miles (47 000 km). More than 90% of Africa’s trade is seaborne, fishing contributes to food security for more than 200 million Africans, and vast oil and gas potential lies off the coast.

Yet this African ‘blue economy’, worth up to a trillion dollars a year, is underdeveloped and threatened; and African states lack the ability to monitor and secure their waters.

‘Africa’s seas should contribute to economic and environmental security, but too often feature stolen resources, drowning refugees and missed opportunities,’ said ISS researcher Timothy Walker. The adoption of AIMS 2050 was a vital achievement, but governments must now show political will, identify priorities and start delivering on the maritime strategy, he said.

ISS analysts are writing the event report and working with Wilton Park to identify priority actions which will enable AIMS 2050 to guide AU policy and national maritime strategies.

‘The ISS helped Wilton Park to identify critical issues on the path to implementation of AIMS 2050 and associated national and regional maritime security strategies,’ Grant said.

Other ISS maritime work includes contributions to the structure of the Djibouti Code of Conduct for the IMO. In 2014 the ISS organised a conference on combatting transnational organised crime at sea at the request of the European Union and Interpol, attended by more than 20 countries’ officials from law enforcement and justice sectors, financial intelligence units and the private sector.

credit link:  http://www.issafrica.org/iss-spotlight/securing-africas-blue-economy

The article was first published by The Institute for Security Studies (http://www.issafrica.org) and is republished with permission  granted to www.oasesnews.com