By Emmanuel Daudu
Abuja, 20th November 2023 – The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Commission, under the SWAIMS project, is set to organize a pivotal workshop aimed at advancing the adoption and promulgation of the Manual of Procedures and Standard Operating Procedures for ECOWAS Maritime Centres. This significant event will take place in Abuja from 20th to 21st November 2023.
According to a press statement signed by Mr. Kouadio Serge, Programme Officer IT and Communication, ECOWAS on Sunday, disclosed that the workshop will bring together esteemed participants including the Heads of ECOWAS Maritime Centres CRESMAO, MMCCs Zones E, F, and G, representatives from the Regional Security Division of ECOWAS, and the Heads of Operations and Administrative and Finance from CRESMAO and the MMCCs.
The primary focus of the workshop is to achieve the following expected results:
Adoption of the final version of the Manual of Procedures for the ECOWAS Maritime Centres.
Submission of the Manual of Procedures to the Commissioner for Political Affairs, Peace, and Security, Ambassador Abdel-Fatau Musah, for promulgation and ultimate implementation in the ECOWAS Maritime Centres.
Speaking about the upcoming workshop, Dr. Axel Klein,Team Leader of the SWAIMS project expressed, “This workshop serves as a critical milestone in enhancing the operational efficiency and effectiveness of ECOWAS Maritime Centres. It underscores our commitment to promoting maritime security and safety in the ECOWAS region.”
The ECOWAS Commission remains resolute in its dedication to developing and implementing best practices for the ECOWAS Maritime Centres, in alignment with the overarching goals of the SWAIMS project.
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About SWAIMS Project:
The Gulf of Guinea, Nigeria, and Niger Delta suffer from major and regular maritime insecurity that range from piracy, armed robbery, and kidnapping to illegal oil bunkering, trafficking, and smuggling.
The Support to West Africa Integrated Maritime Security (SWAIMS) programme is a multi-country intervention, covering member states of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) under the European Union-West Africa regional Indicative Programme—Benin, Burkina Faso, Cabo Verde, Côte d’Ivoire, The Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea Bissau, Liberia, Mali, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Togo, as well as Mauritania with a specific focus on coastal countries.
Sample Activities
Strengthen integrated maritime governance, policies, laws and systems to support maritime security.
Assess the impact of illicit financial circuits generated by maritime crime.
Strengthen regional operational training.
Improve coordination with the private sector and participation of civil society in fighting maritime insecurity.
Sample Results
Supported the preparation of the background material for the grant to ECOWAS Inter-Governmental Action Group against Money Laundering in West Africa (GIABA), and the preparation of the background material for the grants to Académie Régionale des Sciences et Techniques de la Mer (ARSTM), Interregional Maritime Security Institute (ISMI), and to the Regional Maritime University (RMU).
Formulated a civil society organisation (CSO) engagement strategy to provide a framework for the programme activities that involve civil society.
To tackle the impact of COVID-19 organized via videoconferences national webinars on raising awareness of CSOs in Côte d’Ivoire, Benin, Guinea Bissau, and Togo to promote wider engagement of the civil society in maritime security.
Launched the international tender procedure for supply of equipment to ECOWAS Maritime Centers and ECOWAS Multinational Maritime Coordination Center.
Formulated a private sector strategy, supported the development of an Alert Bulletin, and organized a webinar to launch the strategy and foster the engagement of the private sector in maritime.
Established a functional project management unit to coordinate the implementation of the different components of the project and to ensure monitoring and timely reporting on project activities and results by the implementing partners (UNODC, CILCL, ARSTM, ISMI, RMU, GIABA).
Acted as the Secretariat to the first Steering Committee, coordinated visibility actions, and liaised with other EU-funded projects in the Gulf of Guinea to ensure coherence of action.
Conducted a detailed survey of maritime security stakeholders, delineating roles, and responsibilities in each member state.
Assessed the legal framework and existing legislation governing maritime crime.
Contributed to the drafting of model manuals and work packages for developing integrated maritime policy and the planned maritime security workshops.
Submitted a draft juridical report itemizing the legislation relating to maritime crime in ECOWAS member states.
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