African Nations Sign Historic Charter on Maritime Security, Safety, & Development
On October 15 African leaders met in Lomé, Togo for a historical African Union (AU) summit on maritime security where 31 countries signed a binding charter aimed at safeguarding maritime security in order to bolster Africa’s blue economy.
The highly anticipated event had 52 state representatives in attendance, 17 of which were heads of state. The purpose of the AU’s Extraordinary Summit on Maritime Security and Safety and Development in Africa was to develop a plan to make maritime space the key economic and social development.
Africa’s coastal regions play an important role in the continent’s economy; 38 of Africa’s 54 countries are coastal states, and 90 percent of the continent’s imports and exports are carried by sea. Africa also hosts strategic commercial shipping lanes. The sea’s important role in the continent’s economy presents promising opportunities for sustainable development, but this would first require mitigating the crimes prone to its waters.
It’s estimated that piracy, smuggling, and other related crimes at sea have cost the maritime sector hundreds of billions of dollars in recent decades. Although piracy has been on the decline since 2012, security factors still pose a real risk to Africa’s economic activity. The proposed Lomé Charter calls for coordinated action between countries to confront and prevent crimes including terrorism, piracy, drug trafficking, human trafficking, and illegal fishing. The deal emphasizes improvements in information-sharing between countries, the need for support in developing security objectives, and cooperation among neighboring states and partners as solutions.
Signatories of the charter, therefore, have agreed to prioritize the security of their corresponding maritime regions, including providing training and capacity building, creating sound and harmonious national legislation, and establishing maritime coordination agencies.
The Charter, although historic and significant, has its shortcomings. AU Commission Chairperson, Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma noted, “The Charter mainly focuses on safety and security issues, not development.” The summit placed a clear emphasis on security, but failed to cover other topics of importance for Africa’s blue economy. The summit also failed to appropriately acknowledge issues of illegal migration by sea, which continues to be a relevant problem for both Africa and destination European countries. Additionally, several key actors failed to sign the Charter including South Africa, Mauritius, Egypt, and Cameroon.
Ultimately, fighting maritime corruption and fostering sustainable maritime development will require the commitment of all coastal and island countries. The Lomé Charter is an astounding accomplishment given the apprehension African countries have demonstrated in the past towards signing maritime agreements. The Charter now needs to be ratified by at least 15 countries before it comes into force.