Obangame Express 2023: For the Safety of the Gulf of Guinea

Obangame Express 2023: For the Safety of the Gulf of Guinea

By Kabir Abdulsalam

The Nigerian Navy recently conducted its annual multi-national maritime security exercise, code-named Obangame Express 2023, in the Gulf of Guinea, GoG. The exercise attracted several nations in the region and outside the shores of Africa, to enhance cooperation in addressing maritime security challenges in the Gulf of Guinea.

The Gulf of Guinea is a vital region for international trade, responsible for over 20% of the world’s petroleum supply and a significant portion of global trade in cocoa, coffee, and other commodities.

It covers 19 coastal and island states, which stretches from the waters off Senegal to the south of Angola, a treasure trove of rich resources for maritime areas located in the western part of the African continent.

The GoG covers 11,755,258 square kilometers of surface area and over 6,000 kilometres of coastlines. Hitherto, GoG has been recognized as hotbed for maritime crime, piracy, illegal fishing, and oil theft. The threat has cost the region lives, fueled instability, and over $1.9 billion in financial losses every year.

Meanwhile, Nigerian Navy has tremendously championed several efforts towards fighting maritime insecurity in the Gulf of Guinea.

As a leader in the Gulf, Nigeria had invested in two State-of-the-art Maritime Domain Awareness Assets – the Regional Maritime Awareness Project, an American Technology and the Falcon Eye Alignment project, an Israeli technology – commissioned by President Muhammadu Buhari in July 2021, among others.

Confirming these feats, Ghada Fathi Waly, Executive Director of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), expressed delight with NN’s accomplishments. He said GoG has  witnessed a steady decline in incidents of piracy and armed robbery at sea. He however explained that more needs to be done to fully operationalize the country’s maritime security architecture.

Again, in a bid to further boost the security around GoG, 32 nations gathered at the Admiralty Conference Centre, Naval Dockyard Limited, Lagos, for the 2023 Operation Obangame Express.

The Operation was designed to foster collaboration among nation members and improving their ability to respond to threats in the maritime domain.

The word ‘Obangame’ comes from the Fang language of southern Cameroon and other parts of Central Africa that means ‘togetherness’. This name was selected by African participants during a proof of concept for this exercise in 2010, to promote the importance of regional cooperation between all the Navies of the Gulf of Guinea.

The exercise included various scenarios, such as counter-piracy operations, search and rescue missions, and the interdiction of illegal vessels.

This year’s event featured participants comprising sailors, Coast Guards, aviators and Military personnel who are to board the ship and planes transiting within the zones during the period, to maintain maritime security, while 250 personnels man the maritime operations.

The one-week Military exercise was organised under the auspices of the United States Africa Command with nine warships, and 15 aircraft including the United States of America Coast  Guard, deployed to the Gulf of Guinea,  with a view to building the capacity of navies and Coast Guards towards maintaining maritime domain awareness there.

Speaking at the flag-off ceremony held onboard the  NNS KADA in Lagos, the Commandant, US 6th Fleet, Vice Admiral Edward Ishee, said the exercise will assist nations to police their own waters.

It will also improve the Guff of  Guinea nations’ ability to tackle piracy, illegal fishing, and trafficking in human and oil bunkering.

“By participating in Obangame Express, we will continue to build partnerships and capability to tackle maritime criminalities that threatened the Gulf of Guinea”. He noted.

To further strengthen this, the US Consul General, Will Stevens, pointed out that Africa’s maritime problem was not exclusively Africans but the entire globe’s  and that when collectively tackled, other nations of the world would reap the benefits.

His word: “Maritime security is not a one-nation obligation. Military exercises such as Obangame Express are part of a long-standing comprehensive strategy by the U.S. government to provide collaborative opportunities among African forces and international partners that address maritime security concerns such as trafficking in persons, narcotics, illegal fishing, and piracy”.

While presenting the flag-off speech, the Chief of the Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Awwal Gambo, disclosed that being the host of this year’s exercise, the Nigerian Navy would be deploying nine ships, two helicopters and maritime domain awareness assets as well as elements of the Special Boat Services for the exercise.

He explained that the exercise was conceptualised on the need for GoG navies and Coastguards to bolster cooperation for regional maritime safety and security in furtherance of the Yaounde Code of Conduct.

The Exercise which is in its 13th year according to him had grown both in complexity and in accomplishment, from its inception in 2010, with just nine participating nations in a centralized exercise, to decentralized events with about 28 participating nations and over 100 individually evaluated events.

He said: “This year’s exercise is particularly instructive considering effort of the African Union at establishing and operationalizing regional taskforces. This will no doubt enhance the African Continental Free Trade Agreement as well as the development of a sustainable Blue Economy.

“According to United Nations Conference on Trade and Development, the African Continental Free Trade Area has the potential to boost Intra-African trade by 33 per cent and cut the continent’s trade deficit by 51 per cent.

“Notably, the maritime industry and the shipping sector in particular constitute a critical driver in the implementation of the ideals of the African Continental Free Trade Agreement. Gleaning from the foregoing, the Gulf of Guinea countries are already collaborating for the establishment of a Maritime Taskforce to further facilitate security and enhance international commerce. It is thus, envisaged that Nigeria and indeed the Nigerian Navy would provide a lead role in this regard.

“Accordingly, Exercise OBANGAME EXPRESS 2023 presents another opportunity for the Nigerian Navy to work together with regional and friendly foreign navies in the spirit of the Yaoundé Accord”

To consolidate on the gains of last year’s Exercise,  the CNS said, “I am aware that the United States Coast Guard Ship SPENCER and Spanish Navy Maritime Offshore Patrol Vessel MV AUDAZ would be participating in this year’s Exercise in Maritime Zone E.

“This development again underscores the importance of Exercise OBANGAME particularly in building requisite human capacity that would foster better understanding and burden sharing, especially in a fast-changing operating environment.

”I am optimistic that the Exercise would positively impact on the  Nigerian Navy’s readiness for combat operation through training while exposing other maritime-related agencies to benefits of inter-agency cooperation as well as international collaboration.”

Indeed, a secured maritime environment will help to protect the natural resources of the Gulf of Guinea, including its oil and gas reserves, which are vital to the economies of the region. By working together to address maritime security challenges, the nations of the Gulf of Guinea can ensure the sustainable use of these resources for future generations.

Obangame Express 2023 is an important stride towards improving maritime security in the GoG.  The Nigerian Navy is to be commended for its leadership role  in championing the cause of maritime security within the GoG domain.

Kabir Abdulsalam wrote from Abuja, can reach via [email protected]