West African naval leaders have met in Accra, Ghana, to reinforce joint maritime operations and boost the effectiveness of the Combined Maritime Task Force (CMTF) in tackling escalating security challenges in the Gulf of Guinea.
In a statement issued on Monday, the Acting Director of Information of the Nigerian Navy, Capt. Abiodun Folorunsho, said the fifth meeting of the ECOWAS Sub-Committee of Chiefs of the Naval Staff, held from Feb. 16 to 20, focused on addressing rising threats such as terrorism, drug trafficking and Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated (IUU) fishing.
He explained that the discussions were led by Nigeria’s Chief of the Naval Staff, Vice Adm. Idi Abbas, alongside ECOWAS Commissioner for Political Affairs, Peace and Security, Amb. Abdel-Fatau Musah, directors of regional maritime security centres, and coordinators of Multinational Maritime Coordination Centres (MMCC) Zones E, F and G.
Folorunsho added that representatives from the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), the European Union–African Chamber of Commerce, and the Commander of the CMTF also participated in the deliberations.
According to him, Musah praised progress recorded under the ECOWAS Integrated Maritime Strategy, citing Operation SAFE DOMAIN in Zone E, Operation ANOUANZE in Zone F, and joint patrols in MMCC Zone G. He also called for stronger collaboration with landlocked nations, including Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger, to counter terrorism and transnational organised crime.
The navy spokesman said the meeting also drew attention to environmental security challenges in the Lake Chad Basin and commended Nigeria’s FALCON EYE Surveillance System for significantly improving maritime domain awareness across the Gulf of Guinea.
“A major outcome of the meeting was renewed commitment to fully operationalise the CMTF through a coalition of willing states, with Côte d’Ivoire, Gambia, Ghana, Liberia and Sierra Leone formally indicating readiness to join Nigeria.
“The official launch of the task force is expected to take place in Lagos between May 31 and June 1, with Nigeria providing three naval vessels, a helicopter, eight operational vehicles and a temporary furnished office to support its activities.
“The CMTF is structured as a rapid-response maritime force, integrating intelligence from the Yaoundé Architecture to confront evolving threats across the region,” he said.
He noted that Abbas’ leadership at the forum reaffirmed Nigeria’s central role in regional maritime security and signaled a collective resolve among ECOWAS navies to translate commitments into concrete actions and sustained cooperation.