Maritime points are on the African Union’s radar, however member states should push for a shift from ambition to motion.
Because the African Union’s (AU) Decade of African Seas and Oceans attracts to a detailed, the continent’s leaders ought to decide to a transparent technique that measures as much as present and rising maritime safety threats.
In June, United Nations Secretary-Common António Guterres highlighted Africa’s central function in international ocean efforts, citing Africa’s Built-in Maritime Technique (AIMS 2050) as a mannequin for regional cooperation. However AIMS 2050 was adopted over 10 years in the past, and urgently must be reviewed and tailored to new threats and higher methods of coordinating continental maritime policymaking.
Momentum in Africa round maritime points has fluctuated over the previous decade. After launching AIMS 2050 in 2014, the AU quickly prioritised a distinct framework – the 2016 African Constitution on Maritime Safety and Security and Improvement in Africa (Lomé Constitution). Since then, progress on the constitution has been gradual, with solely three ratifications up to now.
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The Lomé Constitution remained the AU’s precedence, regardless that a distinct, older constitution – the revised African Maritime Transport Constitution adopted by the AU in 2010 – lastly entered into power in 2025 after 15 ratifications had been reached.
And regardless of 5 years of sustained consideration from the AU’s Peace and Safety Council (PSC), maritime safety has not been institutionalised via common coverage critiques, sustained price range traces and steady operations by a devoted unit.
Drawing on probably the most current PSC communiqué on 23 April and previous classes from AU efforts, three initiatives must be prioritised by the AU and its member states.
First, an African maritime safety knowledgeable group must be established to boost data and coordination amongst member states. Expertise reveals that such casual, targeted and evolving expert-driven platforms may be efficient. The AU’s cybersecurity knowledgeable group established in 2019 is an efficient instance. It reveals how a small unit can present advert hoc assist and overcome fragmented implementation efforts.
The AU Meeting has repeatedly referred to as for a maritime group. In 2020, it requested the AU Fee to create a consultative discussion board to evaluation progress. In 2022, the PSC reiterated the decision for a physique that might present technical experience to member states and different stakeholders, improve maritime safety capabilities and facilitate interdepartmental coordination.
Nevertheless maritime points at present span a number of AU Fee departments, which impedes motion and coordination. For example, tasks on the sustainable use of ocean assets are carried out by the Division of Agriculture, Rural Improvement, Blue Economic system and Sustainable Atmosphere. However maritime safety, which is intently tied to sustainable ocean use, falls beneath the Political Affairs, Peace and Safety Division (PAPS) and Workplace of Authorized Counsel.
As with many AU initiatives, success typically hinges on overcoming persistent underfunding. The maritime safety knowledgeable group is meant to don’t have any direct monetary implications for the AU Fee. Whereas this could improve the probability of its institution, the absence of devoted funding could undermine its effectiveness in the long term.
A viable resolution is encouraging member states to second consultants to the group, reinforcing nationwide possession and state engagement. To take care of high quality and coherence, the AU Fee may make sure that secondees meet technical requirements.
A second precedence is for the AU Fee to conduct a maritime command-post train. Overseen by PAPS, the Amani Africa III train can be the primary maritime drill beneath the African Standby Drive’s umbrella. Moderately than at-sea or live-fire actions, it may take a look at command and management features via simulations of piracy, unlawful fishing or an emergency akin to a seaborne evacuation of civilians. The knowledgeable group may assist develop the eventualities and consider responses.
The train could possibly be linked to ongoing efforts to activate the Mixed Maritime Job Drive established in 2023 within the Gulf of Guinea. The duty power will present speedy, coordinated kinetic responses to piracy and armed theft threats. It would additionally coordinate patrols and joint operations and share data, mirroring the strategy of mixed forces within the Indian Ocean and Crimson Sea.
The Gulf of Guinea process power must be a platform for regional engagements, feeding operational classes into different AU processes. The PSC has repeatedly referred to as for comparable forces to be established in different areas, most not too long ago on 23 April.
The third precedence is establishing a discussion board for Chiefs of African Navies and/or Coastguards. The PSC inspired the AU Fee to assist member states convene the primary assembly of the committee of African navy and coastguard heads, which is but to happen.
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The committee is envisioned as a proper, diplomatic and everlasting platform for coordination amongst senior officers. Every nation would designate a liaison officer to cut back the purple tape that usually undermines cooperation, construct belief and enhance data and useful resource sharing.
The committee would achieve from being included in different initiatives. In 2024, as an example, South Africa held the Sea Energy for Africa Symposium. It is a main continental discussion board for African naval leaders to debate maritime safety, regional cooperation and techniques like AIMS 2050. The navies and coastguards committee could possibly be convened throughout this occasion, which is designed for dialogue and constructing consensus.
The committee may suggest precedence reforms based mostly on insights from often-neglected African naval and coastguard views. This could turn into a biannual briefing to the PSC, assisted by the maritime safety consultants’ group. Collectively, they might translate technical and operational insights into strategic recommendation for policymakers and make sure that momentum is sustained.
This text was first
Timothy WalkerSenior Researcher, Maritime, ISS Pretoria
Denys RevaResearcher, Africa within the World, ISS Pretoria
