OSINBAJO IN DECORATING THE CHIEF OF NAVAL STAFF, IBOK ETE EKWE IBAS WITH HIS NEW RANK OF VICE-ADMIRAL, AT THE PRESIDENTIAL
VILLA IN ABUJA
Twenty Naval chiefs from Africa, Europe and America are expected to meet in Nigeria to discuss insecurity in the Gulf of Guinea from August 24 to 26, 2015.
Most of the countries involved have indicated interest to participate in this year’s Offshore Patrol Vessels (OPV) conference to be hosted by the Chief of the Naval Staff (CNS), Vice Admiral Ibok Ekwe Ibas.
The objective of the meeting is to seek ways of improving maritime security on African coastal waters.
Chairman of the organizing committee, Rear Admiral Begroy Ibe-Enwo, said at a news conference in Lagos yesterday that the Nigerian Navy was partnering with the International Quality Productivity Center (IQPC) to organize the conference.
Ibe-Enwo noted that participants at the conference would deliberate on some issues of interest to African and global maritime stakeholders.
“The focus areas of the conference include anti-piracy operations, coastal surveillance systems, cost effective OPV and naval systems acquisition, international best practices in OPV operation and multilateral and innovative protection measures for offshore oil and gas assets,” he said.
Other areas of focus are; technology transfer and development of domestic ship building capabilities, exhibition of security and defence related equipment for protection of oil and gas assets and cooperation and information sharing among maritime stakeholders.
Several papers would be presented by international maritime security experts and discussed at the event, with participants drawn from maritime security, naval operations, service chiefs of the Nigerian armed forces and flag officers from international navies.
