Maritime security cooperation in the Gulf of Guinea: prospects and challenges

The Gulf of Guinea is a region of strategic importance and a major source of essential commodities for both domestic and industrial use, while its sea lanes connect trade from multiple continents. The maritime profile of the region also presents enormous opportunities for enhancing socio-economic development of member States and for delivering positive human development index across the region. However, there are increasing maritime security threats in the Gulf of Guinea that affect the peaceful uses of sea, impair the exploitation of coastal resources and also undermine regional and global security. Effective responses to these threats require a comprehensive approach, one which is based on regional and international cooperation. This thesis examines the prospects and challenges of maritime security cooperation in the Gulf of Guinea. It analyses the concept of maritime security cooperation and develops a framework for explaining maritime security threats in the Gulf of Guinea. The thesis examines the responses to maritime security threats in the Gulf of Guinea by assessing the effectiveness of regional and international cooperative initiatives. The conclusion of the thesis is that current processes of maritime security cooperation in the Gulf of Guinea are inadequate and suffers multiple limitations. Appropriate responses must therefore be put in place to address the gaps. The thesis provides several suggestions for enhancing maritime security cooperation in the Gulf of Guinea