Africa to tackle piracy, other maritime crimes – Peterside

The Director-General, Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency, Dr. Dakuku Peterside, has stated that maritime administrators in Africa are set to tackle issues of piracy, sea crimes and illegal migration on the continent.

Peterside, who is also the Chairman, Association of African Maritime Administrations, disclosed this to maritime journalists on the sidelines of the International Maritime Organisation’s council meeting in London.

He noted that the continent, through her leaders, had put in place the necessary framework to tackle all forms of criminality to guarantee safety and security of lives and property, and help harness the benefits of the blue economy.

“Some of the instruments being proposed to tackle crimes include the Africa Integrated Maritime Strategy 2050, the Yaoundé Code of Conduct, the Djibouti Code of Conduct and the Lome Charter, among other strategies,” a statement from NIMASA on Tuesday quoted Peterside as saying.

Peterside hinted that as part of its medium-term goals, the AAMA would partner non-governmental organisations involved in rescue operations on the sea and international partners to tackle the challenge of migration by sea.

He added that in order to stem the tide of illegal migration, the association was in the process of commissioning studies in selected African countries on illegal migration to enable them provide empirical data to the African Union for action.

“Let me assure you that the African maritime administrators are determined to tackle the challenges in the maritime sector to maximise the benefits of the blue economy, but Africa and Africans are the ones to lead the search for solutions to the problems plaguing the African maritime domain; the support of the international community will only be complementary to the effort of Africans,” he stated.