Overview

Ensuring a safer and secured maritime domain along the Gulf of Guinea has become a great concern for littoral countries bordering this region. Despite the vast deposits of marine resources, the region has become a hotspot for criminal activities at sea including illegal fishing, maritime piracy and armed robbery, drug and human smuggling. The operations of pirates in the region is characterized by high levels of violence and high increased death toll of crew. Indeed, the surge in violent cases have become a cause for concern for states, security analysts and other maritime stakeholders. Certainly, the implications on the cost of sea-based trade cannot be under-estimated as insurers of containers jack up premiums in a region that pursues greater trade relations with the rest of the world through sea-based transport.