ECOWAS discusses suppression of illicit maritime activities

The Economic Community of West Africa (ECOWAS) Inter-Departmental Stakeholder Meeting to dissect the draft supplementary act concerning cooperation in the suppression of other illicit Maritime activities in the ECOWAS Region is underway in Ghana.

Participants at the four-day meeting would analyse the draft Supplementary Act, which is designed to serve as an important means of furthering international cooperation in the fight against maritime crime as well as a significant force multiplier that helps to overcome the challenges posed by scarce law enforcement assets and resources in the region.

In a working document made available to the Communication for Development and Advocacy Consult (CDA Consult) in Tema, by Mr Serge Kouadio Koffi, Programme Officer IT and Communication Directorate of External Relations, ECOWAS Commission said the draft Supplementary Act is being developed by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC).

It is within UNODC’s framework of the Global Maritime Crime Programme (GMCP) ECOWAS project "Support to West Africa Integrated Maritime Security (SWAIMS)" funded by the European Union.

Speakers at the meeting include Mr. Francis Izeg Omiunu, National Programme Officer, GMCP, and UNODC; and Colonel Abdourahmane Dieng, Head of Division Regional Security at the ECOWAS Commission.

According to the document, the main goal of the SWAIMS project is to support ECOWAS member states in strengthening the prosecution of piracy and other

maritime crime cases by improving the application of the rule of law at sea and on land with the under-listed main activity indicators and targets to assess project achievement vis-à-vis the expected result.

It also seeks to focus on the development of a regional maritime legal framework, its dissemination, and sensitization initiatives, ensuring that new maritime crime legislation is drafted and submitted for approval.

The development of Memoranda of Understanding about the prosecution of maritime crime suspects with a focus on the hand-over of suspects between countries and Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) developed and endorsed to reinforce the capacity to conduct national investigation and prosecution through proper profiling of the right course of action.

The project also seeks to strengthen law enforcement officers through training and capacity building on the law of the sea, evidence collection, and maritime crime, as well as training on the law of the sea and maritime crime for prosecutors and judges in the pilot countries.

Other issues the project seeks to deal with include providing effective support for the prosecutions and trials of maritime crimes through the provision of material and interpreters, as well as coordination among prosecutors and investigators.

In general, UNODC, through its Global Maritime Crime Programme (GMCP), provides support to the full criminal justice system, from sea to land, to ensure that Member States are in a position to tackle the threats of maritime crimes, including piracy, armed robbery at sea, and trafficking in drugs, people, and weapons, and to secure the waters of coastal states.