The Minister for Defence, Hon Kenneth Gilbert Adjei, has called for stronger regional and international cooperation to address emerging maritime security threats and safeguard Africa’s economic interests amid growing geopolitical uncertainty. He made the call at the maiden African Maritime Security Forum, held at the Kofi Annan International Peacekeeping Training Centre (KAIPTC) in Teshie, Accra, under the theme, “The African Maritime Landscape in Times of Geopolitical Uncertainty in 2026 and Beyond.”
Delivering the keynote address, the Defence Minister underscored the strategic importance of the maritime domain to trade, livelihoods and regional prosperity, noting that threats such as piracy, illicit trafficking and transnational organised crime require coordinated, intelligence-led responses. He stressed that no country could effectively tackle these challenges in isolation and called for stronger information-sharing, operational collaboration, institutional capacity-building and enforcement of maritime laws. He also highlighted Ghana’s longstanding partnership with Denmark, citing support for specialised maritime training, the maritime simulation centre at the Naval Training Command (NAVTRAC), the Ship-in-a-Box anti-piracy training facility, and equipment and tactical training for Ghana Armed Forces personnel. He urged participants to translate their deliberations into practical recommendations that would strengthen maritime security across the continent.
Declaring the forum open, Hon Adjei called on participants to strengthen partnerships and advance actionable measures to ensure that Africa’s waters remain corridors for lawful trade, cooperation and shared prosperity rather than avenues for criminality and insecurity.
The Danish Ambassador to Ghana, His Excellency Jakob Linulf, reaffirmed Denmark’s commitment to maritime peace and stability, emphasising the importance of protecting sea routes that facilitate global trade. He disclosed that the partnership with the forum’s organising institutions had trained more than 1,000 security personnel across Africa and supported capacity-building initiatives, including the provision of equipment to enhance naval capabilities. He noted that maritime security was closely linked to economic development and freedom of navigation, calling for deeper collaboration to respond to evolving threats.
The Commandant of KAIPTC, Air Vice Marshal David Anetey Akrong, also highlighted the significant reduction in piracy in the Gulf of Guinea through coordinated patrols, intelligence-sharing and other security measures, while cautioning that piracy and other maritime threats continued to pose economic risks. He identified resource constraints, environmental degradation and unemployment among the challenges requiring sustained attention and modern technological solutions.
The two-day forum organised by KAIPTC, the Security Institute for Governance and Leadership in Africa (SIGLA) at Stellenbosch University and the Royal Danish Defence College, under Denmark’s Peace and Stabilisation Fund’s Maritime Security Programme for the Gulf of Guinea, provides a platform for policymakers, military and security professionals, researchers and international partners to exchange expertise and develop practical approaches to emerging maritime security challenges. It also reinforces Ghana’s commitment to protecting its maritime domain and contributing to peace, stability and freedom of navigation in the Gulf of Guinea and beyond.
