The Danish Government has just launched the “Priority Paper for the Danish Efforts to Combat Piracy and other types of Maritime Crime 2019-2022”, nicknamed “The Piracy Strategy 2019-2022”. The paper outlines the strategic considerations on the effort to combat piracy and maritime crime to protect both Danish and regional, national interest around the Horn of Africa and in the Gulf of Guinea (GoG).
Denmark has been involved in ensuring maritime security in the GoG since 2016, yet piracy is still on the rise with almost 40% of all globally reported piracy attacks happening in the region. In this paper the strategic focus on the Gulf of Guinea is thus significantly larger than in previous strategies.
Looking at the Danish priorities in the region, emphasis will be on strengthening regional, maritime security through:
• Increased maritime governance in Nigeria and Ghana including assisting these countries in improving their legal framework and ability to investigate and prosecute maritime crime
• Promoting regional cooperation and coordination which is essential for an effective response to encounter maritime threats
• Strengthening the ability of national and regional authorities to monitor the maritime domain and respond to emerging threats
Danish efforts reflect African objectives
The Danish efforts will be in full alignment with the objectives of the African Union’s Integrated Maritime Strategy which are put into practice through regional organisations such as ECOWAS. The Danish engagements will continuously interact with countries in the GoG and key international partners, among others the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), International Maritime Organisation (IMO), and the International Maritime Bureau (IMB).
The embassies of Denmark in Ghana and Nigeria will collaborate meticulously to further strengthen the regional, maritime security in the Gulf of Guinea. In 2019, the embassies will be launching the comprehensive “Peace and Stabilisation Programme for the Gulf of Guinea 2019-2021″, involving countries in the GoG and key regional and international partners.
The complete strategy can be found here.
