Cooperation and capacity-building are two key ways in which IMO and the wider global community are seeking to support countries to reduce the number of incidents. IMO attended the annual plenary meeting of the countries and organizations members of the G7 Group of Friends of the Gulf of Guinea (G7++ FoGG) in in Accra, Ghana (5-6 November) on invitation of the Franco-Ghana co-chair and with the support of the European External Action Service (EEAS).
During this meeting, participants took stock of the progress made in the implementation of the Code of Conduct concerning the prevention of piracy, armed robbery against ships and illicit maritime activity in West and Central Africa (the Yaoundé Code of Conduct) which was signed in 2013. They also promoted cooperation amongst all stakeholders and heard updates from five virtual working groups which were established in July to focus on legal issues; financial aspects; maritime domain awareness; training; and blue economy.
The G7++ FoGG group is open to all interested Member States, NGOs and IGOs.
IMO also attended the annual Gulf of Guinea Chiefs of Naval Staff Symposium (7 November) held under the auspices of the Ghanaian Navy. Participants saw cooperation in action, on board the French Navy Ship Somme, which was participating in Exercise Grand African Nemo. The French Navy-led exercise bought together 19 Gulf of Guinea countries, eight European countries and involved five assets, with 30 exercises covering how to deal with various maritime crimes and incidents at sea.