By Abbas Nazil
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has urged the African Union (AU) to prioritize the creation of a Combined Maritime Task Force to strengthen security in the Gulf of Guinea, a region plagued by piracy, illegal fishing, and smuggling.
He expressed the appeal through Yusuf Tuggar, Nigeria’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, at the 38th Ordinary Session of the AU Assembly in Addis Ababa.
Tinubu also expressed Nigeria’s willingness to host the proposed task force headquarters in Lagos, emphasizing the urgent need for collective action to protect the economic interests of West and Central African nations.
The Gulf of Guinea has long been a global hotspot for maritime insecurity, and Nigeria, as the region’s largest economy and most populous nation, is particularly affected.
Maritime trade is crucial to West African coastal states, with oil being the most significant industry.
Nigeria alone contributes more than half of the region’s GDP and relies on oil for 90% of its foreign exchange earnings.
However, persistent threats from piracy and transnational organized crime have severely impacted the sector, leading to revenue losses and increased operational costs.
Data from the International Maritime Organization (IMO) highlights the severity of the issue, revealing that between 2006 and mid-September 2012, 204 out of 322 recorded piracy incidents in coastal West Africa occurred within Nigerian waters.
The United Nations has observed that Nigeria’s oil revenues would be significantly higher if the industry were not continuously targeted by criminals.
The ongoing threats have raised shipping costs, increased insurance premiums, and discouraged investment in Nigeria’s oil and maritime sectors.
Coinciding with Nigeria’s proposal for the task force, the country’s Minister of Defence also signed an agreement with the AU, allowing the Nigerian Navy to provide Strategic Sea Lift Services for AU peace operations, humanitarian missions, disaster response, and personnel movement.
This move is expected to enhance regional maritime security and bolster the AU’s peacekeeping efforts.
Beyond maritime security, Tinubu’s report to the AU addressed the broader instability in North Africa, particularly in Libya.
He emphasized that the ongoing turmoil in Libya continues to fuel insecurity across the Sahel region, affecting countries undergoing democratic transitions such as Sudan, Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger, South Sudan, and Gabon.
He called on the AU to support initiatives aimed at restoring stability in Libya, asserting that peace in the Sahel is unattainable without stability in Libya.
The Nigerian president also warned against increasing external military influence in Africa, cautioning the AU against allowing foreign private military companies to shape the continent’s security landscape.
He suggested that the AU explore leveraging UN Security Council Resolution 2719 to support AU-led peace operations.
