Research Article
Maritime SecurityMaritime Security Interventions in the Gulf of Guinea: Mapping the Role of External Actors
Abstract
This article maps the range of external naval and institutional interventions in Gulf of Guinea maritime security since 2015, from bilateral ship visits to multinational exercises and capacity-building programmes. It argues that interventions are most effective, and most durable, when they are built around existing regional architectures such as the Yaoundé Code of Conduct rather than run in parallel to them.
Cite This Article
Owusu, K., & Boateng, A. S. (2025). Maritime Security Interventions in the Gulf of Guinea: Mapping the Role of External Actors. Gulf Spectrum Journal, 1(1).
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Introduction
Piracy and armed robbery at sea in the Gulf of Guinea drew sustained international naval attention through the late 2010s and early 2020s. This attention has taken varied forms: bilateral port calls and training visits, multinational task forces, and long-running capacity-building partnerships. This article surveys that landscape and asks what distinguishes interventions that strengthen regional capacity from those that risk substituting for it.
A Typology of External Engagement
We distinguish three broad categories of external engagement in the region: episodic naval presence (ship visits, joint patrols), structured capacity building (training programmes, equipment transfers), and institutional support (funding and technical assistance to regional bodies such as the Interregional Coordination Centre). Each carries different implications for regional ownership.
Alignment with Regional Architecture
Interventions anchored to the Yaoundé Code of Conduct's reporting and coordination structures showed greater continuity after the initiating partner's political priorities shifted, compared to bilateral programmes run outside that architecture.
Conclusion
External support remains important to Gulf of Guinea maritime security, but its long-term value depends on how well it is threaded through existing regional structures rather than run alongside them. Future interventions should be evaluated in part by their contribution to regional institutional capacity, not only by their immediate security effect.
References
- Bueger, C. (2021). Piracy Studies: Scholarly Responses to the Return of an Ancient Threat. Maritime Studies Review.
- Interregional Coordination Centre. (2023). Annual Report on Maritime Security in the Gulf of Guinea.
- Ukeje, C., & Ela, W. (2022). African Approaches to Maritime Security: The Gulf of Guinea. Institute for Security Studies.
About the Authors
Ghana Navy, Fleet Operations
Lt. Cdr. Owusu serves in fleet operations with the Ghana Navy, with a focus on maritime domain awareness and interagency coordination in the Gulf of Guinea.
University of Ghana, Legon
Dr. Boateng researches regional security cooperation in West Africa, with recent work on Gulf of Guinea governance frameworks.