Africa Maritime Security Forum opens in Accra with call for stronger continental cooperation

African security leaders and international partners have called for stronger continental cooperation, intelligence-sharing and sustainable investment to address evolving maritime threats, as the maiden African Maritime Security Forum opened at the Kofi Annan International Peacekeeping Training Centre (KAIPTC) in Accra on Wednesday, October 14. The two-day forum, held under the theme “The African Maritime Landscape in Times of Geopolitical Uncertainty in 2026 and Onwards”, brings together maritime security practitioners, naval leaders, policymakers, academics and international partners to develop practical responses to threats affecting Africa’s coastal states and strategic shipping routes. The event has attracted 66 registered participants, with representation from Nigeria, Ghana, Côte d’Ivoire, South Africa, France, Denmark, Britain, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Togo, Madagascar, the United States, Kenya and Sierra Leone.

Ghana’s Minister for Defence, Kenneth Gilbert Adjei, formally opened the forum, urging African countries to move beyond policy declarations and strengthen coordinated, intelligence-led operations to combat piracy, trafficking, illegal fishing and other forms of transnational maritime crime. He warned that maritime threats transcend national borders and require collaboration among governments, navies, law enforcement agencies, regional organisations, industry players and international partners. Mr Adjei stressed that Africa’s seas must be protected not only as strategic trade routes but also as vital sources of livelihoods, economic opportunity and sustainable development.

He highlighted Ghana’s maritime security partnership with Denmark, citing training, simulation facilities and operational support for the Ghana Navy and other security institutions. KAIPTC Commandant calls for continent-wide approach The Commandant of KAIPTC, Air Vice Marshal David A. Akrong, said the expansion of maritime security discussions beyond the Gulf of Guinea reflected the increasingly interconnected nature of threats across Africa’s maritime domain.

He noted that the new forum would connect security concerns affecting the Gulf of Guinea, southern African shipping routes and the western Indian Ocean, enabling countries to develop coordinated responses to shared challenges. While acknowledging significant progress in reducing piracy in the Gulf of Guinea through region…