Prevention of piracy, armed robbery against ships and illicit maritime activity in west and central Africa was on the agenda at a meeting of the G7 Group of Friends of the Gulf of Guinea in Lisbon, Portugal.
The meeting focused on implementation of the “Code of Conduct”, which was signed by governments in the region, in 2013.The Governments of [Angola, Benin, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Cape Verde, the Central African Republic, Chad, Congo, Cote d’Ivoire, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, the Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea Bissau, Liberia, Mali, Niger, Nigeria, Sao Tome and Principe, Senegal, Sierra Leone, and Togo] came together and agreed upon this Code to counter piracy and armed robbery at sea. The signatories of the Code intended to cooperate to the fullest possible extent in the repression of transnational organized crime in the maritime domain, maritime terrorism, IUU fishing, and other illegal activities.
The meeting assessed future prospects of the implementation process, including efforts of the private sector to strengthen maritime security in the Gulf of Guinea. Additionally, participants examined international initiatives in the region, including Africa’s Integrated Maritime Strategy (AIM 2050), the European Union Strategy for the Gulf of Guinea, together with initiatives by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) and the Community of Portuguese Speaking Countries (CPLP).
The Portuguese Presidency of the G7 Group of Friends of the Gulf of Guinea (G7++ FoGG) hosted the meeting. IMO was represented by Gisela Vieira.
Source: IMO