Officers are being trained to finish with the growing insecurity in the Gulf of Guinea. The European Union (EU) supports this training of riparian States in the management of cases of armed robbery, maritime piracy and illicit trafficking in order to fight against maritime crime.

This seminar initiated by the Interregional Maritime Safety Institute (ISMI) aims to equip participants to ensure a safe, holy and secure ocean space in which one can easily trade. The Permanent Secretary of the Interministerial Committee for State Action at Sea (SEPCIM), Fofana Abroulaye, urged the participants to make the most of this training which, without a doubt, will give additional tools for the strengthening of the legal and operational arsenal in the fight against maritime crime. This officer training course is the third of the SWAIMS-FORMAR programme which aims to strengthen the technical capacities of civilian and military professionals from the States of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) working in national and regional maritime surveillance coordination centres. Funded to the tune of one billion FCFA (1.5 million euros), the program will finance 16 training cycles between 2021 and 2024 and is part of the European Union's support to the ECOWAS Integrated Maritime Strategy.