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Angola and the Gulf of Guinea
Towards an Integrated Maritime Strategy
November 2012
Report of the Angola Forum conference aboard HMS Dauntless
in Luanda, Angola, 29 June 2012
page ii
© The Royal Institute of International Affairs, 2012
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page iii
Contents
Preface v
Conference Summary 1
Summary of Debate 11
Next Steps 13
Resources 14
Conference Programme 18
Biographies 20
Further Reading 24
page iv
Map 1: The Gulf of Guinea
Source: Googlemaps
Guinea
Côte
d’Ivoire
Burkina Faso
Nigeria
Cameroon
Gabon
Mali
Angola
Namibia
Liberia
Equatorial Guinea
São Tomé and Príncipe Equator
15º15º
15º
15º
Prim
e M
erid
ian
Togo
Benin
Guinea Bissau
The Gambia
Ghana
Congo
DRC
Sierra Leone
Senegal
page v
page v
Preface
Maritime security is an emerging issue in the Gulf of Guinea region.1 Energy security
and trade depend to a large extent on sea-based transport, and the Gulf of Guinea
region is currently the source of around 5.4m barrels of oil per day (bbl/d). his
is equivalent to more than the total amount imported by EU27 countries in 2008
(4.9mbbl/d) and over half of US crude oil imports in 2008 (9.8mbbl/d). Oil supply
from the Gulf of Guinea region in 2011 was equivalent to 40% of total EU27 and 29%
of total US petroleum consumption in the same year. Angola and Nigeria account for
34% and 47% of total GG oil supply respectively.
Piracy in the Gulf of Guinea accounted for nearly 30% of attacks (427 of 1,434)
in African waters between 2003 and 2011, and the proportion is increasing. This is
partly due to successful counter-piracy operations off the coast of Somalia (operation
EU NAVFOR ATALANTA) which have reduced piracy east of Suez, but instances
of piracy in the Gulf of Guinea are also on the increase: 53 cases were recorded in
2011, compared with 39 in 2010, and a number of cases go unreported. Map 2 shows
attacks from January to October 2012.
Maritime security is essential to maintain the flow of revenues from oil and gas,
which have the potential to contribute significantly to development in the region. At
the same time maritime resources such as fish, aquaculture and intact ecosystems
directly contribute to the livelihoods of many Africans.
Maritime security is important for exploiting maritime resources, securing liveli-
hoods and development. It should, however, be framed within national and regional
1 There is no clear definition of the Gulf of Guinea (GG). In its narrowest definition it is bounded by the inter-
section of the Equator and the Prime Meridian (0°0’0”, 0°0’0”). In its widest definition the GG includes the
region from Guinea to Angola (-15°0’0”, -15°0’0”).
page v
i
Angola and the Gulf of Guinea: Towards an Integrated Maritime Strategy
Map 2: International Maritime Bureau Piracy and Armed Robbery, 2012
Source: http://www.icc-ccs.org/piracy-reporting-centre/live-piracy-map
Guinea
Côte
d’Ivoire
Burkina Faso
Nigeria
Cameroon
Gabon
Mali
Angola
Namibia
Liberia
Equatorial Guinea
São Tomé and Príncipe Equator
15º15º
15º
15º
Prim
e M
erid
ian
Benin
Guinea Bissau
The Gambia
Ghana
Congo
DRC
Sierra Leone
Senegal
Togo
Actual attack
Attempted attack
Preface
page v
ii
policy that goes beyond immediate needs and reactive engagement. Such an inte-
grated strategy should include environmental protection, management of fish stocks,
tourism, and transport needs of landlocked countries. Neglect could result in acute
security challenges in the future (food insecurity due to overfishing or environ-
mental degradation of the seas, for example).
There are a number of regional organizations that share an interest in maritime
security in the Gulf of Guinea such as the Economic Community of West African
States (ECOWAS), the Economic Community of Central African States (ECCAS),
the Maritime Organisation of West and Central Africa (MOWCA) and the Gulf of
Guinea Commission (GGC). Geographical and mandate overlap argues for greater
integration and coordination of maritime initiatives.
Why Angola?
Angola’s Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ), declared in 1974, consists of an area of
501,050 km2 representing 40% of Angola’s total territory (1,248,000 km2). The EEZ
is a resource to be managed, but no country can achieve this alone. Angola hosts
the Secretariat of the GGC, which is a regional body that aims to promote peace
and security, as well as economic, social and environmental wellbeing in the Gulf of
Guinea region. Angola is thus well placed to take a role in developing an integrated
and comprehensive strategy for managing the regional maritime space in partner-
ship with other littoral states (as well as landlocked countries). Ultimately, success
depends on political will as well as institutional capacity, capability and responsive-
ness.
The Chatham House conference held in Luanda on 29 June 2012 brought together
international experts on maritime security to exchange ideas in public with policy-
makers in Angola and the GGC. The conference benefited from the operational
insights of Capt. Warrender, commander of HMS Dauntless. Before arriving in
Luanda and hosting the Chatham House conference, the ship sailed through the Gulf
of Guinea and was engaged in a variety of maritime security operations including
counter-piracy (see section on HMS Dauntless below).
page 1
page 1
Conference Summary
In his keynote speech, the Executive Secretary of the Gulf of Guinea Commission
(GGC), Miguel Trovoada, reminded the audience of the strategic importance of the
Gulf of Guinea region. Seven of the eight members of the GGC produce five million
barrels of oil per day, and the maritime space is of central importance for the socio-
economic development of the countries in the region. This development potential
is under threat from crime in the maritime space, including piracy and armed
robbery at sea, trafficking of persons and illicit goods, illegal fishing, oil bunkering
and the dumping of toxic waste. Trovoada also highlighted pollution from oil and
gas activities and oil spills as major threats to the ecology of the Gulf of Guinea with
potentially severe developmental impacts.
According to Trovoada, the magnitude and scale of these challenges mean that
national efforts are likely to be ineffective and a regional approach is essential. At the
regional level, cooperation is most advanced of the Economic Community of Central
African States (ECCAS), which has created a Regional Maritime Security Centre of
Central Africa (CRESMAC) and developed a regional strategy.
Nevertheless, the deterioration of maritime security in particular necessitates
a concerted, ongoing, integrated and comprehensive effort by all the countries
of Central and West Africa bordering the Gulf of Guinea. This is reflected in the
United Nations Security Council Resolutions 2018 and 20392 which advocate a close
collaboration between ECCAS, the Economic Community of West African States
(ECOWAS), the GGC and the Maritime Organisation of West and Central Africa
(MOWCA) aimed at developing a comprehensive and integrated strategy to combat
piracy in the Gulf of Guinea. The ultimate goal is to develop an integrated maritime
2 Passed on 31 October 2011 and 29 February 2012 respectively.
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Angola and the Gulf of Guinea: Towards an Integrated Maritime Strategy
page 2
strategy that will be part of the global African Union (AU) maritime strategy for
Africa.
Acting as chair of session 2 (see programme below) but also representing the
Ministry of External Relations of Angola, Francisco da Cruz praised the Chatham
House initiative for its strategic relevance and its international context. The Gulf of
Guinea is playing an increasingly important role in global energy security and thus
for the global economy.
Among other challenges and risks, da Cruz highlighted the effect of piracy in
undermining the competitiveness of the Gulf of Guinea in international trade owing
to the increased cost of maritime transportation, including the insurance for exports
and imports.
According to da Cruz, the effective response to these challenges requires the
strengthening of a comprehensive regional strategy that encourages member
countries of the Gulf of Guinea to act increasingly as a bloc. It is in this spirit that
there is already growing coordination and sharing of intelligence at the level of
navies, as well as joint patrolling actions. These measures aim to ensure a common
Audience at the Chatham House conference aboard HMS Dauntless
Conference Summary
page 3
surveillance procedure in the Gulf of Guinea through the establishment of joint
operational procedures and means of surveillance and intervention.
The Sixth Ordinary Session of the Council of Ministers of the Gulf of Guinea
Commission, held on 12–13 April 2012, in Luanda, stressed the importance of coor-
dination with other regional bodies such as ECCAS and ECOWAS in the definition
of an integrated and complementary regional maritime security strategy for the West
African region.
Angola, as a member state of ECCAS, the CGG and the Southern African
Development Community (SADC), advocates the adoption of a maritime security
strategy consistent with the prevailing situation in the Gulf of Guinea and southern
Africa and that responds to the international implications of the issue of piracy in
Africa.
Capt. Will Warrender, the captain of HMS Dauntless, provided an overview
of the operations the Royal Navy was engaged in during its tour through the Gulf
of Guinea before the event in Luanda. HMS Dauntless was engaged in maritime
security operations, including counter-narcotics and counter-piracy, and provided
assistance to local navies for non-combat evacuation and disaster relief operations.
Non-lethal counter-piracy measures such as barbed wire
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Angola and the Gulf of Guinea: Towards an Integrated Maritime Strategy
Anti-piracy measures taken by local vessels are testament to the increased threat
in the region (see pictures below) but as yet there is no full understanding of the level
of pirate activity.
Capt. Warrender stressed that ultimately the solution to piracy lies ashore, and
that an integrated approach is vital to success. In the meantime, however, there is
much that African navies and coastguards can achieve with the right resources.
David McKenzie is currently engaged on a project for the EU Commission on Piracy
and Armed Robbery in the Gulf of Guinea which is part of the Instrument for Stability-
Critical Maritime Routes Programme. He recommended support for regional initiatives
in the areas of: 1. training and education, 2. information-sharing, 3. coastguard functions
and law enforcement, and 4. development of joint operational coordination capabili-
ties. He pointed out that no single country has the assets or organizational capacity to
address fully all the requisite actions of the state at sea, and that a regional strategy is
thus essential. A starting point for achieving greater strategic cohesiveness is for outside
actors to support regional efforts more effectively. He recommended that regional states
should implement the principles and obligations already agreed under the umbrella of
Non-lethal counter-piracy measures such as barbed wire and lookouts
Conference Summary
page 5
the United Nations through the International Maritime Organization (IMO), the GGC
or the regional economic communities (RECs).
At the national level effectiveness also depends critically on close coordination
between military and civilian maritime affairs authorities. Especially on the civilian
side there is considerable scope for training and capacity-building. McKenzie
pointed out that it does not matter who executes the coastguard function (military or
civilian maritime authorities) as long as there are effective coordination mechanisms
in place. He acknowledged that a lack of assets in the Gulf of Guinea is a concern but
pointed out that, equally, existing equipment and materials are often poorly main-
tained and technicians lack expertise and skills.
A former consultant on maritime safety and security in the GG for the Africa
Centre for Security Studies at the US Department of Defense, Dr Gary Littlejohn,
spoke on the importance of the Gulf of Guinea region for economic development
and human security. In particular, fish stocks were an important source of protein
for the region. Angolan annual per capita food supply from fish and fishery products
over the period 2002–07 was 14kg per person – above the sub-Saharan average of
Fish as an economic resource
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Angola and the Gulf of Guinea: Towards an Integrated Maritime Strategy
8kg. Especially the poorest 40 per cent depend on fish as a crucial component of
their diet. Overfishing by foreign but also African vessels is now a serious problem.
Dr Littlejohn argued that part of the response to this crisis should be the introduc-
tion of policies by Gulf of Guinea countries to support artisanal fishing and monitor
the activities of large foreign fishing companies. The alternative is hunger among
the poorest sections of African societies. Another part of the response should be
consideration of ‘aquaculture’ or fish farming. Alongside measures to promote mari-
time food security, full use should be made of the benefits of international trade.
In particular, since landlocked African countries grow more slowly than those with
coastal access to international trade, rail and road communications with the interior
(landlocked) neighbouring countries should be promoted. This would increase port
revenues for Gulf of Guinea countries, thereby promoting a virtuous circle of growth
for both coastal and landlocked countries.
According to Cdr Tukur Mohammed Toro, who is seconded from the Nigerian
Navy to the Department of Political Affairs, Peace and Security at ECOWAS, the
ECOWAS Commission is currently engaged in drafting an Integrated Maritime
Strategy and Operationalization of a Model Zone to enable ECOWAS countries
to fight piracy, armed robbery and other illicit transnational maritime crimes. He
reported that the main challenges pertain to human and financial resources and
capacity as well as decision-making mechanisms.
Cdr Mohammed identified the next steps as: 1. increasing informational aware-
ness for ECOWAS member states, 2. linking ECOWAS and ECCAS model zones,
and 3. endorsing the ECOWAS Maritime Security Strategy. ECOWAS will also
work closely with partners and international organizations and is looking to further
engage ECCAS and the GGC. ECOWAS has been engaged in and party to various
other maritime initiatives such as USAFRICOM-sponsored meetings between
ECOWAS and ECCAS in 2011 and 2012, the UN Resolutions on piracy 2018 and
2039 (2011 and 2012), and a maritime safety and security meeting in the Gulf of
Guinea organized by France, as well as various multinational exercises and opera-
tions. At the 40th Heads of State meeting in Abuja, the ECOWAS Commission was
mandated to take the coordinating role for regional maritime safety and security.
Conference Summary
page 7
Chris Trelawny, Deputy Director of the Maritime Safety Division of the IMO in
charge of the Sub-Division for Maritime Security and Facilitation, described how an
inter-agency approach to policing Exclusive Economic Zones (EEZs) should work.3
Such an approach requires political will, inclusiveness, clear strategic direction and
legislation. In addition (appropriate) capability, interoperability, shared support and
training and maritime operation coordination centres are required. This was identi-
fied at the IMO/MOWCA Forum on the ‘Integrated Coast Guard Function Network’
in Dakar in October 2006. This was followed up in July 2008 by the signing of a
Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on the Establishment of a Sub-Regional
Integrated Coast Guard Network in West and Central Africa. There are 15 signato-
ries, but Angola has not yet signed. After a follow-up meeting in Accra a number
of recommendations were agreed, among them that non-signatory member states
should sign up to the MoU, signatories to the MoU should implement it as soon as
possible, Coastguard Function Network Coordination Centres should be set up and
3 A state’s EEZ extends 220 nautical miles from its territorial sea.
Audience at the Chatham House conference aboard HMS Dauntless
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Angola and the Gulf of Guinea: Towards an Integrated Maritime Strategy
resourced, and personnel for the coordination centres should be trained without
delay. Finally, the international maritime commitments by member states should
be enshrined in national laws. Trelawny also highlighted the role of coastguard
functions (rather than a coastguard per se). Coastguard functions include search
and rescue, fisheries management, counter-trafficking, maintaining and securing
international trade, the International Ship and Port Facility Security (ISPS) Code,
protecting the environment and ensuring safety of navigation. In the absence of a
dedicated coastguard these functions may, for example, be performed by navies.
Trelawny emphasized that this initiative is an example of ‘African solutions to
African opportunities’. Pulling partners along is more effective than pushing, and
investment yields far more gains than aid. According to Trelawny, the priority for
the region should be to create action (whether national, sub-regional or regional)
instead of policies.
Dr Knox Chitiyo, Associate Fellow of the Africa Programme at Chatham House,
argued that the African countries have to take the lead in controlling their maritime
domains but that international partnerships with states and commercial actors are
Chatham House conference aboard HMS Dauntless
Conference Summary
page 9
important. Dr Chitiyo also highlighted the need for a formalized legal framework
– nationally and at the continental level, and argued that bilateral and regional part-
nerships in the maritime domain (as for example through MOWCA, GGC, ECCAS
and SADC) will play a pivotal role in the ability of the continent to address maritime
challenges.
While an integrated maritime strategy is still some way off, the building blocks
can already be determined at national and regional levels in the Gulf of Guinea.
Alex Vines, Head of the Africa Programme at Chatham House and Director for
Area Studies and International Law, concluded the presentations by stressing that
Angola, as a member of ECCAS and SADC and host of the GGC in Luanda, plays a
pivotal role in regional maritime security. Vines pointed out that the Angola Forum
conference aboard HMS Dauntless was an initiative to help address issues raised by
the UN assessment mission, which suggested that states affected by piracy in the
region should convene a summit in 2012 to develop a comprehensive anti-piracy
HMS Dauntless flight deck
page 10
Angola and the Gulf of Guinea: Towards an Integrated Maritime Strategy
strategy. UN Security Council Resolution 2039 supports this idea and asks regional
organizations (ECCAS, ECOWAS and the GGC) to hold a summit.
Vines ended by thanking the participants of the conference: the GGC, the
Angolan government, Angolan strategic thinkers, the commercial sector, the UK
government, ECOWAS, the EU and leading analysts and academics. Special grati-
tude went to Capt. Warrender and the crew of HMS Dauntless, UK Ambassador
Richard Wildash, and Royal Navy Commander Gavin Coyle.
page 11
Summary of Debate
Each session was followed by an opportunity for the audience to participate and
engage in debate with the panellists. Participants included representatives from
the Angolan Ministry of External Relations, Ministry of Defence, Chiefs of Staf,
Navy and Air Force, as well as business representatives from the oil and gas sector
operating regionally and locally. A number of foreign embassies were represented by
their ambassadors, staf and defence attachés.
Issues raised by the debates included the urgent need for an operational plan for
dealing with (suspected) piracy in the Angolan EEZ. Particularly in emergency situ-
ations there is as yet no clarity regarding points of contact, agency responsibility or
interagency coordination – including with the private sector.
It was also mentioned that in East Africa, oil companies are having to spend a
significant amount of money on maritime security to protect their offshore instal-
lations and people. In the current high cost environment and global economic
downturn, oil companies cannot afford such additional maritime security costs in
Angola, which could have an impact on the feasibility of projects and even drive
some companies out of the country. Therefore it is important to proactively address
maritime security in the region, while it is still not as widespread as in East Africa.
There was a sense of bewilderment regarding the plethora of organizations
engaged in the maritime domain as well as their areas of responsibility. ECCAS,
ECOWAS, SADC, CRESMAC, MOWCA and the GGC all have maritime security
interests. The private sector felt there was too much intergovernmental duplication
without real results and that private-sector actors and concerns were excluded.
Other comments highlighted the tension between political will and policy supply
on the one hand and operational readiness and capability on the other. It was agreed
page 12
Angola and the Gulf of Guinea: Towards an Integrated Maritime Strategy
page 12
that in the case of Angola there is scope for the strengthening of both. This was seen
as a precondition for regional engagement and international cooperation on mari-
time security. Reducing the ‘sea blindness’ of policy-makers was seen as important
in this respect. It was mentioned that events such as the Chatham House conference
helped address this problem.
Finally it emerged that Angolan stakeholders, particularly on the operational side,
would welcome increasing exposure to international forums and conferences in
order to broaden their perspective and experiences.
page 13
Next Steps
Following the conference, Angola announced in October 2012 that it plans to host
a regional conference on maritime security, peace and development in the Gulf of
Guinea in Luanda before handing over its presidency of the GGC to Equatorial
Guinea.
Chatham House, in partnership with the African Studies Centre, Coventry
University, is holding an international conference on Maritime Security in the Gulf
of Guinea on 6 December 2012 at Chatham House, London.
This conference will focus on a range of challenges confronting the Gulf of
Guinea, how they are connected and how regional institutions can best interact to
tackle these evolving threats to regional growth and security. From piracy and crude
oil theft to drug-trafficking and illegal fishing, the conference will draw together
experts and policy-makers to highlight how the maritime space is being exploited
for illicit activity, and to explore the implications for the region and the international
community. It will discuss institutional roles in the region and how they can best be
supported to counteract these damaging trends.
For more information on the conference at Chatham House, contact Markus
Weimer at mweimer@chathamhouse.org or +44 (0)20 7957 5733.
page 14
Resources
HMS Dauntless (DNTL) is a Type 45 anti-air warfare destroyer and one of the most
powerful warships ever launched by the Royal Navy (RN). DNTL joined the RN in
November 2010.
DNTL’s ‘West African Adventure’ included a tour through the GG with stops
in Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana and Angola. During port calls the DNTL crew engaged in
capacity-building and undertook wider regional engagement on maritime security,
while at sea the focus was on training other navies and agencies in maritime security
techniques and in conducting overt counter-piracy operations.
In Luanda, Capt. Warrender and the DNTL crew hosted high-profile events
including the Queen’s birthday party on board DNTL, and met with local dignitaries
HMS Dauntless and RHIB
page 15
Resources
and military chiefs as a means of promoting regional maritime security. The
Chatham House conference was part of this effort.
According to Capt. Warrender,
Opportunities like this are few and far between and the ability to get some of the key
decision-makers and people of inluence together to discuss a common problem can
never be underestimated; I hope it will be of immense strategic value to the wider region
as a whole.
One of the major reasons for our deployment has been to promote the awareness
of maritime security issues in the region; conferences like this deinitely reinforce the
points we have been making throughout our previous visits to ports in the Gulf of
Guinea and along the coast of West Africa.
The International Maritime Organization (IMO) is a specialized United Nations
agency and was established in 1948 in Geneva through the passing of the IMO
Convention. The convention entered into force in 1958 and the new organization
met for the first time in 1959. Its purposes are ‘to provide machinery for cooperation
among Governments in the field of governmental regulation and practices relating
to technical matters of all kinds affecting shipping engaged in international trade;
to encourage and facilitate the general adoption of the highest practicable standards
in matters concerning maritime safety, efficiency of navigation and prevention and
control of marine pollution from ships’.4 It is also empowered to deal with adminis-
trative and legal matters related to these purposes.
The IMO’s first act was to adopt a new version of the International Convention for
the Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS) in 1960. it then turned its attention to the facilita-
tion of international maritime traffic, load lines and the carriage of dangerous goods,
and the revision of the system of measuring the tonnage of ships. After conventions
on improving seafarer standards and on the marine environment, maritime security
emerged into the focus of the IMO after the turn of the millennium.
4 As summarized by Article 1(a) of the Convention.
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Angola and the Gulf of Guinea: Towards an Integrated Maritime Strategy
In July 2004 a new, comprehensive security regime for international shipping,
including the International Ship and Port Facility Security (ISPS) Code, entered into
force. In 2005, the IMO adopted amendments to the Convention for the Suppression
of Unlawful Acts (SUA) Against the Safety of Maritime Navigation, which among
other things introduced the right for a State Party to board a ship flying the flag of
another State Party when the requesting Party has reasonable grounds to suspect that
the ship or a person on board the ship is, has been, or is about to be involved in, the
commission of an offence under the Convention.
The Gulf of Guinea Commission (GGC), founded in 1999, is a body headquar-
tered in Luanda and headed by former President of São Tomé and Príncipe, Miguel
Trovoada. Member states include only countries bordering the Gulf of Guinea:
Angola, Cameroon, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Congo Brazzaville,
Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Nigeria, and São Tomé and Príncipe.
The scope of the GGC includes the promotion of peace and security in the Gulf
of Guinea region, as well as the economic, social and environmental wellbeing of
its members. Mechanisms to achieve this include regulation and harmonization
of natural resource exploitation – in particular fishing and oil exploration. It is
also foreseen that the GGC will provide a forum for addressing problems affecting
member states in regard to:
zz Environmental pollution of their common maritime zone;
zz Border issues vis-à-vis delimitation of maritime borders and other conflicts
arising in the overlapping Exclusive Economic Zones (EEZ);
zz Security matters such as issue of Joint Border Patrol, immigration and similar
matters;
zz Coordination of fishing activities in the Gulf.
The treaty of the GGC makes it clear that two key aims for the organization
are ensuring security and stability in the region. The way to achieve these aims is
through regular consultation among the State Parties. The State Parties include the
Resources
page 17
Nigeria
Cameroon
Gabon
Angola
DRC
Equatorial Guinea
Equator
15º 30º
15º Prim
e M
erid
ian
Congo
São Tomé and Príncipe
Assembly of Heads of States and Governments, and the Council of Ministers which
includes ministers in charge of Foreign Affairs, Economy, Hydrocarbons, Fishing
Resources, Mines and Environment.
The Assembly of Heads of States and Governments is the decision-making body
of the GGC and determines objectives, principles and activities. It meets annually
at a summit held according to alphabetical rotation of countries. The Council of
Ministers meets at least once a year to harmonize views on issues to be tackled before
the Assembly.
The funding of the GGC in 2010 amounted to an estimated US$3.6m and was
expected to reach US$4m in 2011.
Member states of the GGC are Angola, Cameroon, the Democratic Republic of
the Congo, Congo Brazzaville, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Nigeria, and São Tomé
and Príncipe (see Map 3).
Map 3: Member states of the GCC
page 18
Conference Programme
HMS Dauntless, Luanda, 29 June 2012
09:30–10:00 Registration and coffee
10:00–10:45 Keynote Address
�zHE Miguel Trovoada, Executive Secretary of the Gulf of Guinea
Commission
�zChair: Ambassador Richard Wildash LVO, British Embassy,
Angola
10:45–11:45 Session 1: Experiences from the Gulf of Guinea
�zCapt. Will Warrender RN, HMS Dauntless
�zDavid McKenzie, France Expertise International
�zChair: Coronel Correia de Barros, Director of the Angolan
Centre for Strategic Studies (CEEA), Luanda, Angola
11:45–12:00 Coffee break
12:00–13:00 Session 2: Towards a regional maritime security strategy
�zDr Gary Littlejohn, Independent Analyst and Editor, ROAPE
�zCdr Tukur Mohammed Toro, Maritime Security Officer,
ECOWAS
�zChair: Francisco da Cruz, Director of the Office of Research and zz Analysis, Ministry of External Relations of the Republic of
Angola
13:00–14:00 Lunch
page 19
14:00–15:00 HMS Dauntless tour
15:00–16:20 Session 3: The need for an integrated strategy
�zChris Trelawny, Deputy Director Maritime Safety Division,
International Maritime Organization
�zDr Knox Chitiyo, Associate Fellow, Africa Programme,
Chatham House
�zChair: Alex Vines OBE, Research Director, Area Studies and
International Law; and Head, Africa Programme,
Chatham House
16:20–16:30 Final session: closing remarks
�zAlex Vines OBE, Research Director, Area Studies and
International Law; and Head, Africa Programme,
Chatham House
�zChair: Paulo Pizarro, Vice President, Communications &
External Affairs, BP Angola
16:30–17:00 Refreshments
Conference Programme
page 2
0
Biographies
HE Miguel Trovoada
Miguel dos Anjos da Cunha Lisboa Trovoada was Prime Minister (1975–79) and
President (1991–2001) of São Tomé and Príncipe. Born in the city of São Tomé,
Trovoada attended secondary school in Angola before studying law at the University
of Lisbon in Portugal. In 1960 he co-founded, with former classmate Manuel Pinto
da Costa, the Committee for the Liberation of São Tomé and Príncipe (CLSTP) –
which was renamed the Movement for the Liberation of São Tomé and Príncipe in
1972. Operating out of its headquarters in Gabon, Trovoada served as the move-
ment’s Foreign Affairs Director from 1961 to 1975 and was instrumental in gaining
recognition from the Organization of African Unity (OAU) for the MLSTP in 1972.
Since January 2009 HE Miguel Trovoada has been the Executive Secretary of the
Gulf of Guinea Commission.
Capt. Will Warrender
Captain Will Warrender joined the Royal Navy as a Warfare Officer in January
1988. Following initial training at Britannia Royal Naval College he gained a BA
in Maritime Defence Studies, Management and Technology at the Royal Naval
Engineering College in Plymouth. Upon graduation Capt. Warrender completed
professional and specialist courses before moving to Scotland as the Navigating
Officer of the mine hunter HMS Cromer in 1993. After further training and
assuming commands of HMS Chiddingfold and her sister ship HMS Cattistock, he
was promoted to Commander in June 2004 and appointed to HMS Argyll, assuming
Command later that year. He then served in the Ministry of Defence where he was
responsible for the programming and planning of the Royal Navy’s future capabili-
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1
ties, including the replacement Aircraft Carriers and Type 45 Destroyers. Promoted
to Captain in April 2011, he assumed Command of HMS Dauntless in July 2012.
David McKenzie
David McKenzie retired from the Royal Navy in 2011 after 38 years of service. An
engineer by profession, he completed the NATO Defence College Course in 2002.
He was Chief of the Partnership for Peace Staff Element based in Naples, Italy from
2002 to 2005, and also served as the United Kingdom Maritime Liaison Officer and
Commanding Officer of the Maritime Training and Advisory Team based in Sana’a,
Yemen. He worked closely with the Yemeni coastguard authorities in support of the
development of their maritime strategy and capabilities. He currently contributes
to a project for the EU Commission on Piracy and Armed Robbery in the Gulf of
Guinea, as part of the Instrument for Stability-Critical Maritime Routes Programme.
He has recently travelled extensively in the Gulf of Guinea region meeting many key
national figures with responsibility for the action of the state at sea.
Dr Gary Littlejohn
Prior to his retirement, Dr Gary Littlejohn served as Head of the Department of
Social and Economic Studies at the University of Bradford, a post that he took up in
January 2000. He previously held academic positions at universities in Tanzania and
Mozambique, and is a member of the editorial boards of various academic journals.
Between 2005 and 2006 he was a consultant for the Africa Centre for Security Studies
at the US Department of Defense, where he ran Portuguese and French language
discussion groups at a series of conferences in Nigeria, Ghana and Benin on Maritime
Safety and Security in the Gulf of Guinea. These meetings led to the signing of an
agreement between eleven participating African governments and the US government.
Dr Littlejohn also participated as translator in high-level one-to-one discussions.
Cdr Tukur Toro Mohammed
Commander Tukur Toro Mohammed is a graduate of the Nigerian Defence
Academy in Kaduna, Nigeria, where he had his initial basic naval training. In 1997,
Biographies
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2
Angola and the Gulf of Guinea: Towards an Integrated Maritime Strategy
he was commissioned as Sub-Lieutenant and graduated from the Defence Academy’s
Economics Department. He has also attended naval courses at the University of
Sunderland in the United Kingdom. Cdr Mohammed was seconded from the
Nigerian Navy to the Department of Political Affairs, Peace and Security at the
Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) owing to the evolving
maritime threats in the ECOWAS region. The ECOWAS Commission is currently
engaged in drafting an Integrated Maritime Strategy and Operationalization of a
Model Zone to enable ECOWAS countries to fight piracy, armed robbery and other
illicit transnational maritime crimes.
Chris Trelawny
Since May 2010, Chris Trelawny has been the Deputy Director of the Maritime
Safety Division of the International Maritime Organization (IMO) in charge of the
Sub-Division for Maritime Security and Facilitation. Prior to that, he was the Head
of the Maritime Security Section. He joined the IMO in March 2003. As well as
providing secretariat support to the IMO Committees, technical Sub-Committees
and Working Groups, he is responsible for advising and liaising with IMO member
governments, international organizations and non-governmental organizations on
the facilitation of global maritime transport, maritime security, piracy and related
issues. His recent projects have included the development of multi-disciplinary,
multi-agency projects aimed at finding regional solutions for piracy and mari-
time security challenges. These include the ongoing development of an Integrated
Coastguard Function Network for West and Central Africa, and the Djibouti Code
of Conduct aimed at addressing piracy and armed robbery against ships in the Gulf
of Aden and western Indian Ocean.
Dr Knox Chitiyo
Dr Knox Chitiyo is an Associate Fellow of the Africa Programme at Chatham House
in London. He was previously Africa Fellow at the Royal United Services Institute
and is Chairman of the Britain–Zimbabwe Society. He has written extensively on
southern Africa, African defence and security, and development issues. Before
Biographies
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3
coming to the UK, he was a Senior Lecturer in War Studies at the University of
Zimbabwe and Deputy Director of Zimbabwe’s Centre for Defence Studies. Dr
Chitiyo is one of the co-authors of a report entitled ‘Maritime Development in
Africa: An Independent Specialists Framework’, published in July 2010. The report
discusses the key challenges and opportunities facing Africa in the commercial
and military maritime environment and is intended as an introduction to what a
comprehensive, broad-brush African maritime strategy might entail, and a primer
for an African-owned maritime policy and strategy.
Alex Vines
Alex Vines has been Head of the Africa Programme at Chatham House since 2002,
and in 2008 became Director for Area Studies and International Law. He first joined
Chatham House as an Associate Fellow of the British Angola Forum in 1999 and
has written extensively on Angola. From 2005 to 2007 he was a member and Chair
of the UN Panel of Experts on Côte d’Ivoire. He served from 2001 to 2003 on the
UN Panel of Experts on Liberia. The proliferation of small arms and light weapons
remains one of his key areas of expertise. He has worked across southern Africa and
was an electoral officer for both UNOMOZ in Mozambique in 1994 and UNAVEM
II in Angola in 1992. He has had a long association with Human Rights Watch and
served as their Senior Researcher on Business and Human Rights. He serves on
the editorial board of several leading journals and writes regularly for publications
around the world. He was awarded an OBE in the Queen’s Birthday Honours in 2008
in recognition of the work he has done in founding and developing the Chatham
House Africa Programme.
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4
Further Reading
he Chatham House conference resources, including programme and presentations
can be accessed at: http://www.chathamhouse.org/events/view/184657.5
Publications are listed in date order.
Publications on Maritime Security and the Gulf of Guinea:
Leijenaar, A., 2012, ‘Africa Should Wake Up to the Importance of an Integrated
Maritime Strategy’, Institute for Security Studies, Pretoria (http://www.issafrica.
org/iss_today.php?ID=1552&utm_source=ISS%2BWeekly%2B40&utm_
medium=Email&utm_campaign=ISS%2BWeekly)
Malaquias, A., 2012, ‘Ask the Expert: The Growing Threat of Oil Pirates in West
Africa’s Gulf of Guinea’, Africa Centre for Strategic Studies (http://africacenter.
org/2012/03/ask-the-expert-the-growing-threat-of-oil-pirates-in-west-
africa%E2%80%99s-gulf-of-guinea/)
Onuoha, F.C., 2012, ‘Piracy and Maritime Security in the Gulf of Guinea’, Al
Jazeera Center for Studies (http://studies.aljazeera.net/en/reports/2012/06/2012
612123210113333.htm)
Baker, M. L., 2011, ‘Toward An African Maritime Economy: Empowering
the African Union to Revolutionize the African Maritime Sector’, Naval
War College Review, Vol. 64, No. 2, Spring 2011 (http://www.usnwc.edu/
getattachment/b49b0b07-c0a4-41e1-964d-dc37cf03e0b0/Toward-an-African-
Maritime-Economy--Empowering-the)
Stead, S., Chitiyo, K., Potgieter, J., Till G., 2010, Maritime Development in Africa:
5 All links were last accessed on 26/09/2012.
Further Reading
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5
An Independent Specialists’ Framework, The Brenthurst Foundation, Discussion
Paper 2010/03 (http://www.thebrenthurstfoundation.org/Files/Brenthurst_
Commisioned_Reports/BD1003_Maritime-Development-in-Africa.pdf)
Vogel, A., 2009, Navies versus Coast Guards: Defining the Roles of African Maritime
Security Forces, Africa Security Brief, No. 2, December 2009 (http://africacenter.
org/wp-content/uploads/2009/12/AfricaBrief_2.pdf)
Nincic, D., Vreÿ, F., Onuoha, F.C. et al. , 2009, African Security Review, Vol. 18, No.
3, Institute for Security Studies (ISS), Pretoria, South Africa (http://hawk.ethz.
ch/serviceengine/Files/ISN/112047/ipublicationdocument_singledocument/
ca27ccdb-f7a3-4614-bb43-218c3f4f19fd/en/A9RD5.tmp.pdf)
Traub-Merz, R., Yates, D. (eds), 2004, Oil Policy in the Gulf of Guinea: Security
& Conflict, Economic Growth, Social Development, Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung
(http://library.fes.de/pdf-files/iez/02115-inf.htm)
Organizations:
African Union (AU)
Website: http://www.au.int/
zz 2050: Africa’s Integrated Maritime Strategy (http://www.au.int/pages/maritime)
zz AU Experts Workshop on Maritime Security and Safety, 6–7 April 2010,
Addis Ababa, Ethiopia: ‘Towards Africa’s Integrated Maritime Strategy (AIM-
Strategy)’ (http://www.africa-union.org/root/ua/conferences/2010/avril/
psc/07avril/Maritime.htm)
Economic Community of Central African States (ECCAS)
zz ECCAS Protocol on Maritime Security (French) (http://www.africa-union.
org/root/ua/conferences/2010/avril/psc/07avril/African_Union_Member_
States_06-07_April_2010_Experts_Meeting_on_Maritime_Security_and_
Safety_Strategy-Documentation/ECCAS_Protocol.PDF)
Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS)
Website: http://www.ecowas.int/
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Angola and the Gulf of Guinea: Towards an Integrated Maritime Strategy
Gulf of Guinea Commission (GGC)
zz Treaty on the Gulf of Guinea Commission (http://library.fes.de/pdf-files/
iez/02115/appendix.pdf)
International Maritime Organization (IMO)
Website: http://www.imo.org/
zz Maritime Security and Piracy (http://www.imo.org/OurWork/Security/Pages/
MaritimeSecurity.aspx)
zz FAQ on Maritime Security (http://www.imo.org/ourwork/security/faq/pages/
maritime-security.aspx)
Maritime Organisation of West and Central Africa (MOWCA)
Website: http://www.amssa.net/framework/MOWCA.aspx (last accessed 26/09/2012)
zz Convention on the Institutionalisation of the Maritime Organisation of West
and Central Africa (http://www.omaoc.org/EN/doc/statut.pdf)
United Nations (UN)
zz Security Council 6723rd Meeting (AM): Gulf of Guinea Piracy ‘Clear Threat’
to Security, Economic Development of Region; Countries Need United Front
in Response, Top UN Official Tells Security Council (http://www.un.org/
News/Press/docs/2012/sc10558.doc.htm)
zz United Nations Security Council (UNSC) resolution 2018, October 2011
(http://daccess-ods.un.org/TMP/2670638.26322556.html)
zz UNSC resolution 2039, February 2012 (http://daccess-ods.un.org/
TMP/9711806.17809296.html)
US Africa Command (AFRICOM)
Website: http://www.africom.mil/
zz Seminar with focus on Maritime Safety and Security in West and Central
Africa (http://www.africom.mil/getArticle.asp?art=6985&lang=0)
Further Reading
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7
Media:
‘The Defence of our Territorial Waters’
Jornal de Angola
30 June 2012
Translation by Maria Teresa Bermudes
Opinion
The defence of Angola’s territorial waters and the surveillance of all activities taking
place within them are issues of paramount importance.
No state would ever relinquish control of its territorial waters, for fear of also
relinquishing an important aspect of the exercise of its sovereignty. Consequently,
it is essential for the state to set up a body that will help it adequately to defend its
maritime borders.
For several decades now, the defence of our territorial waters has been entrusted
to the Angolan Navy (Marinha de Guerra Angolana or MGA), an agency responsible
for the defence of our maritime borders.
In parallel with the MGA, we have the Polícia Fiscal (Angola’s Revenue and
Customs Police) and the Port Authorities of each coastal province. These organiza-
tions also have an extremely important role to play in the control and surveillance of
our country’s maritime waters.
Although the goals that lead to the establishment of the MGA still apply, it is
important that we create a new momentum – one that will match all the changes
taking place in the region and in the world.
Angola has an extensive maritime border and in order to keep it well demarcated
and to explore the resources contained in our waters, it is imperative that the MGA
should be adequately equipped and prepared. This means that, when compared with
other issues, all the procedures related to the challenges we face in our maritime
borders require the utmost attention of President José Eduardo dos Santos.
As a result of the concerns and interventions made by the Executive, the MGA
is now undergoing a process of restructuring and modernizing that will allow it to
better defend and monitor our territorial waters.
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Angola and the Gulf of Guinea: Towards an Integrated Maritime Strategy
The training of personnel and retrofitting of those institutions that uphold the
control and surveillance of our territorial waters are part of an array of options and
concerns faced by the Executive.
The project of modernizing the MGA is in line with the measures undertaken by
the Executive in terms of delineating and demarcating Angola’s maritime space. The
defence of our maritime borders justifies the creation of an inter-ministerial commis-
sion, an initiative which aims to facilitate the quick delineation and demarcation of
Angola’s maritime spaces and to establish the dimensions of our continental shelf.
The delineation of our maritime borders and the modernization of the MGA go
hand in hand in our efforts to supply Angola with the means and personnel needed
to control our seas with increasing effectiveness.
Angola continues to expend considerable efforts on the implementation of
training programmes and the acquisition of technical and scientific resources for its
armed forces in general and the MGA in particular. We are happy to learn that this is
a ten-year project aimed at providing the country with the resources and personnel
necessary to face the challenges posed by our times.
With the advent of globalization, the world has grown smaller, with foreign states
and sub-national bodies increasingly displaying their intention to explore the terri-
torial waters of other states.
Every day we note new developments pointing to the uncontrolled proliferation
of piracy, transnational crimes and illegal immigration, all of which, interestingly
enough, often take place within maritime waters. Only through a better prepared
MGA and Fiscal Police force will we be able to ward off maritime threats. Our
experience tells us that the fragility of those organizations undertaking the defence,
control and surveillance of our maritime waters allows for all kinds of maritime
activities which are detrimental to states’ economies.
We have no doubt that, with the modernization of the MGA, the important role it should
play within the Maritime Committee of SADC and our country joining the South Atlantic
and the CPLP space, we will be better prepared to defend our own territorial waters.
Angola’s long maritime border and our marine resources demand the moderniza-
tion of our armed forces in general and the Angolan Navy in particular.
Further Reading
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9
We are pleased to learn that the Navy is committed to enhancing its human
resources by setting up internal training programmes.
All this has been made possible thanks to the creation of good conditions in Navy
schools and training centres and, in certain cases, by fostering access to institutions
in allied countries.
To rebuild the MGA means not only adapting it to the new domestic, regional
and international reality, but also ensuring that it has the means necessary to defend
the sovereignty and integrity of our territorial waters and of our country in general.
In a few years we will come to realize that all the fruits of the investments Angola
will have made in the defence, management and control of its territorial waters will
only have served the interests of the nation.
(http://jornaldeangola.sapo.ao/19/42/defesa_das_aguas_territoriais)
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0
About the Africa Programme
The Africa Programme at Chatham House develops independent policy-focused
research on issues affecting individual states of Africa, the African continent as a
whole and its relations in the international system.
Since its establishment in 2002, the Africa Programme has grown to become the
world’s largest independent centre for policy research and debate on Africa’s interna-
tional politics. With the transformation of Africa’s international position, the Africa
Programme has worked to improve the quality of information available to interna-
tional policy and decision-makers.
The Programme’s research priorities emphasize issues affecting individual African
states and the continent as a whole that are currently under-researched, and the
major African issues of main interest to the international community.
Current research areas include:
zz Governance and transparency
zz Piracy and armed non-state actors
zz Africa and international system
zz Peace and security
zz Resources and society
The Africa Programme has an international network of research partners around the
world and works closely with other Institutes to promote analysis with a global perspective.
Africa Programme events provide the opportunity to engage world-renowned
figures from across Africa and beyond to come and offer their perspectives on issues
pertinent to Africa’s national, regional and international politics.
ANGOLA AND THE GULF OF GUINEATowards an Integrated Maritime Strategy
Piracy in the Gulf of Guinea region is of growing international concern
and regional actors are seeking to address this growing threat. The
region is home to Angola and Nigeria – the two biggest African
exporters of oil – as well as smaller and emerging producers such as
Ghana. Much of the petroleum is produced offshore and transported
across the Gulf of Guinea.
Angola is increasingly significant internationally with major oil reserves
and an ambitious foreign policy. It is well placed to take a lead role in
increasing maritime security in the region.
The Angola Forum
The Angola Forum was founded in 1998 at Chatham House and is
now established as a globally influential centre for independent policy
research on the country. Funded through membership contributions,
it offers a unique setting for individuals, organizations and companies,
both from the UK and internationally, to participate in forward-looking,
policy-focused and influential debate and research. It holds briefings
and seminars on Angola’s business, investment, politics, human rights,
constitution and culture, and has attracted senior government officials,
as well as members of the opposition and those from the business
sphere and civil society.
Chatham House, 10 St James’s Square, London SW1Y 4LE
T: +44 (0)20 7957 5700 E: contact@chathamhouse.org
F: +44 (0)20 7957 5710 www.chathamhouse.org
Charity Registration Number: 208223