The Chief of the Naval Staff (CNS), Rear Admiral Godin Livinus Bessing, has called for stronger regional collaboration to tackle growing maritime threats in the Gulf of Guinea.
Rear Admiral Bessing made the call during the Maritime Action Platform III, a two-day seminar co-organised by the ECOWAS Multinational Maritime Coordination Centre (Zone F) and the Royal Danish Defence College at Alisa Hotel in Accra on Wednesday, 6 May 2026, where he represented the Deputy Minister for Defence, Honourable Ernest Brogya Genfi.
The seminar brought together maritime authorities, security agencies, policymakers, industry players, and international organisations to discuss practical solutions aimed at strengthening maritime security and regional cooperation within the Gulf of Guinea.
The CNS further underscored the strategic significance of the Gulf of Guinea as one of the world’s vital maritime regions, while noting that threats such as illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing, as well as piracy, continue to pose serious challenges to regional security and hinder economic growth among coastal states.
He therefore urged stakeholders to sustain collaboration and strengthen collective efforts to secure the Gulf of Guinea against emerging maritime threats, emphasising that sustained regional coordination remains essential to maintaining stability and advancing economic and national development across coastal states.
