The Maritime Action Platform 1 (MAP 1) Seminar was held on 8 – 9 April 2024 at the Alisa Hotel, Accra, under the auspices of the ECOWAS Multinational Maritime Coordination Centre (MMCC) Zone F and the Centre for Stabilisation (CFS) of the Royal Danish Defence College (RDDC). The objective of the seminar was to raise awareness and knowledge sharing among stakeholders in order to contribute to progress on maritime security through actionable recommendations to decision makers. It also aimed at providing participants with an opportunity to connect with colleagues from other sectors. A communiqué of actionable recommendations was adopted at the end of the Seminar.
Participants were drawn from various organisations within the ECOWAS region spanning maritime sector governance and administration, defence and security, shipping and fishing sectors, academia and other stakeholder institutions. The Guest of Honour for the Seminar was the Danish Ambassador to Ghana, His Excellency Tom Norring. Also in attendance as a special delegate was, Honourable Dr Zenator Agyeman-Rawlings, the Member of Parliament for Korley-Klottey Constituency (the host constituency of the Centre). Additionally, the Directors of CRESMAO and MMCCs Zones E and G were in attendance as special delegates.
Presentations were delivered by distinguished speakers during the Seminar. Commander Philip Odoi Narh of the Ghana Navy delivered a presentation on ‘The Critical Connection between Maritime Domain Awareness to Enhanced Piracy Surveillance Capabilities from Coast to Exclusive Economic Zones (EEZ)’. Admiral Boniface Konan, a former Director of CRESMAO, shed light on ‘The Current Operational and Coordination Challenges confronting Anti-Piracy Operations’. Mrs. Frances Mullen Ansah, a Chief State Attorney at the Ministry of Justice and Attorney General Department, delved into ‘The Complex Legal Responses to Piracy’, highlighting both limitations and possibilities. Naval Captain Solomon Adagogo Jaja of CRESMAO spoke on ‘The Potential Linkage between IUU Fishing and other Illegal Activities at Sea’. Mr. Richard Yeboah, a Deputy Director at the Ministry of Fisheries and Aquaculture Development discussed ‘The Importance of Inter-Agency Cooperation for the Detection and Reporting of IUU Fishing Incidents’. Dr. Amadou Tall, a senior fisheries expert at the Directorate of Agriculture and Rural Development of the ECOWAS Commission, highlighted ‘The Significance of Policy Formulation to Protecting Fisheries Resources’. Additionally, Dr. Kwame Adu Agyekum from the University of Ghana presented on ‘The Utilization of Geospatial Tools for Monitoring Fishing Vessels as a Means to Curb IUU Fishing Activities’. Attached are images from the Seminar.
