AN APPRAISAL OF THE REGIONAL EFFORTS OF THE GULF OF GUINEA COMMISSION IN CURBING MARITIME CRIMES AND INSECURITY

Abstract

The Gulf of Guinea is an important maritime route for commercial shipping from Europe and America to West, Central and Southern Africa. Its proximity to Europe and North America for the transportation of the Low-Sulphur crude oil from the region underscores its importance in the global supply of energy. Apart from being a veritable transport route, the Gulf houses a great percentage of the worlds’ total petroleum reserves. In addition to its rich biodiversity, several minerals such as uranium, copper, manganese and silver forms the mineral deposit found in the Gulf. Despite these foregoing economic importance of this area to the world and the coastal states surrounding it, the Gulf has over the years been a hub for illicit activities such as piracy, armed robbery, oil theft, oil bunkering, kidnapping, drug trafficking, waste dumping and illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing (IUU). To control these nefarious activities, certain regional arrangements have been put in place by the coastal states surrounding the Gulf. On top of the list is the Gulf of Guinea Commission which was established via a treaty in 2001. It is against this backdrop that this work appraised the incidences of maritime insecurity in the Gulf and the extent the Commission has carried out its task of shrinking maritime insecurity in the region. The work in its findings revealed amongst other things, that the apathetic participation of the member states was the major challenge faced by the Commission.