Sea Control - Sea Control 492 - Challenges in the Gulf of Guinea with Ebunoluwa Ojo-Ami

Episode Date: February 1, 2024

LinksNavigating security challenges in West Africa, by Ebunoluwa George Ojo-Ami, International Security Journal, August 9, 2023. 

Hey folks, it's Jared. My guest this week is Ebalua George Ojoami, and we're discussing challenges in West African waters. This episode was edited and produced by Andrew Frame. Here at SimSec, we aim to further international maritime security through an exchange of ideas and the rigor of critical thought and writing. If you haven't already, please check out simsec.org for new articles on the most important maritime topics. If you'd like to contribute to the discussion, check out the Write for SimSec tab to learn how you can submit articles for publication. Finally, I want to take the opportunity to recommend our partners in the SimSec Podcast Network, the Bilge Bumps. You can find Alex, Jamie, Drack, and a pile of iron brew

bottles wherever you download your podcasts. And with that, Kimber's men. You're listening to Sea Control, hosted by the Center for International Maritime Security. Hello Hashimates and welcome back aboard Sea Control. My guest today is Ibaloa George Ojoami and we're going to be discussing his article for International Security Journal entitled Security Challenges in West Africa. You'll be able to find a link to the journal article in the show notes. Ibaloa, welcome. Could you please tell the audience a little bit more about your background? Okay, thank you very much for having me. My name is Ibaloa George Ojoami and I'm very, very excited to be here on the Sea Control Podcast.

I have a very robust background in security, unmanned technology, and research analysis. Also in operation management as well. I've had the privilege of working with organizations in the maritime security space where I conducted in-depth research and produced a series of security reports in the West Africa region. I'm also a member across multiple professional associations like the Gulf of Guinea Maritime Institute, also the African Navy Research Network. I also have a handful of volunteer engagements, be it in research, mental health, advocacy, or ocean conservation. In addition, I have also some couple of publications, and I've actively contributed to research papers. My educational

background is from the Maritime Academy of Nigeria, Oron, and I'm very, very happy to be here. Thank you. Well, thank you again for joining us. Do you have some operational background as well with the Nigerian Navy? I do not have any direct affiliation with the Nigerian Navy yet. However, during my experience working in private maritime security firms, certain security services offered required the collaboration with the Nigerian Navy. And in those instances, I did more of a back-end support to the security escort where I carried out tracking of the client vessels and the security ESCOM vessel, which included the Navy team as well. I helped in the transit of the Navajo team from the Navy base to implication of the team on the client vessel at the anchorage area.

I also handled position as a communication officer on a lot of security operations. Well, let's get into your article then. You started by discussing what types of crime that you're typically seeing in West African waters, and you mentioned a decrease in piracy, but an increase in sea robbery. So how are you differentiating between those acts? And then what do you think is the cause of the decrease slash increase that you wrote about? Let me start with a small overview

of the security status in West Africa. So the Gulf of Guinea has been one of the major global discussions about maritime security in the world and causing a cross-trade from IUU fishing to oil theft, which add in our major focus, which is Paris Sea and Sea Robbery, things i would like to highlight to further expand on piracy and the differences between piracy and

and sea robbery now we have first one the theft from vessels which is taking properties on by stealth means it's very opportunistic second is robbery at sea which is quite different this has to do with more of confrontation from the robbers to to the vessel and the crew members where there's use of force or threat of force. Then we also have hijacking. We have kidnapping. Media publications would identify every crime incident in West Africa as piracy, which is very, very untrue. Under the UNCLOS definition of piracy, piracy are actually offenses that happen outside the territorial waters of any state. This is not just in sea robbery. There was a decrease in piracy and it also moved to sea robbery and other maritime threats as well, because we've seen more

of cases of OITF in the West Africa region. Sometimes this year, also drug trafficking this year. The cost of decrease can be associated with the increased military presence in the waterways, which is more of a patrol. Coastal significantly boosted their capabilities by investing in more mission vessels, more capacity building trains for their personnels.

We've also seen more foreign aid into this part of the world, the Gulf of Guinea, from organizations like the UN, EU, also from the United States, where we offer even joint Navy exercises. Let's say, for example, 2022, we had the Oba Gemi exercise, which had to do with a lot of the regional navies in the Gulf of Guinea. Speaking about the causes of increase in C-Ruby, I would like to talk about the adaptations by criminals. Now, let's say, for example, a lot of threats that happen out there involve so much risk. Actually, I'm even mixing up two points together.

There's so much risk involved in actual piracy, which is offshore. This is a cross-border crime, so you have to deal with so much punishment. So we see these perpetrators move from the deeper sea into the not-so-deeper sea, where they can easily escape into the shores. They can easily target the fish who says they are very close to the shores. Every threat that happens at sea starts from land. And for every form of disturbance

or poor economic situation that happens, individuals are more likely to, any form of activity that can bring out quick money. So you see individuals who might most likely be formal seafarers because there's actually, from one of the very, very small research findings that they did within the coastal environment or the river and high communities.

And it is that some individuals who are actually perpetrators in maritime crime do have some maritime education. Perhaps they are former seafarers. Perhaps they have individuals with military experiences. They are specialists, sometimes fishermen. Even women also act as informants and spies for these robbers or pirates.

You see women going to sensitive into a maritime environment like the jetties or the ports and able to people sensitive information and extract there to give to the organizations. Now, another key thing I would like to highlight is we can agree that in the West African region, a lot of crimes that happen is actually organized crimes from organized colonial groups. Well, we have three or more individuals working together to want to commit serious offenses to obtain financial benefits or materialistic benefits.

So yes, the adaptation of the criminals is a point to consider in the increase of CO3. Another thing to consider is the low risk and the high reward. Another thing to consider is political and social stability. So you spent quite a bit of space writing about potential roles for uncrewed systems. I know that's where a lot of your background is, UAVs, USVs, in combating this maritime crime. Are any of those systems already in use, and what roles do you foresee for those systems? Systems have the potential to play a significant role in combating maritime crime in the Gulf of Guinea. These systems offer several advantages over traditional assets, such as aircraft. I would like to just briefly highlight some advantages of these uncruised systems, which include extended endurance, unmanned systems, or uncruised systems can operate for extended period of time without needing to refuel or return to base, making them ideal for long-range surveillance and patrol missions. Another advantage is reduced risk to personnel.

These unmanned systems can operate in hazardous environments such as rough seas or areas with potential for armed confrontation without putting humans' life at risk. Another advantage is enhanced situational awareness. UAVs and UAVs can be equipped with payloads which include different kinds of sensors like high-resolution cameras, radars, sonars, providing real-time data on maritime activities. Another advantage is lower operational cost, which is highlighting uncrewed systems which can be operated with fewer personnels and require less maintainers than traditional manned vessels and aircraft. Overall, while uncrewed systems are still in the early stages for development and deployment for maritime security application, there has been some promising pilot projects in the Gulf of Guinea. For example, Nigeria procured UAVs through the WC project, which was established on the 10th of June 2021. These systems have been integrated to combat maritime crime. In October 2022, Ghana acquired UAVs as well for use to enhance patrolling and protection of its maritime borders.

This project showcased the growing significance of uncrude systems in the region. I do foresee several potentials for unmanned systems in combating maritime crime in the Gulf of Guinea. One of the many potential roles I foresee are surveillance and monitoring, where this unmanned system can be used to patrol large areas of the ocean, providing real-time data on maritime activities. This data can be used to identify and track potential threats, such as pirate vessels or illegal fishing boats. Another rule I do foresee is target tracking and interception, where this online system can be used to track and intercept potential threats, providing a persistent presence in areas of high risk. And this can potentially bring a transition from the security operations, from being reactive to becoming proactive, as we do have highs in the sky, constantly transmitting real-time data. Another potential rule I do foresee is support for law enforcement operations, where these unmanned systems can be used to provide support, such as communication relay.

Another role I do foresee is evidence gathering, which is equipping this unmanned system with high-resolution cameras to record and collect evidence for maritime crimes. Perhaps this could potentially change the dynamics of persecuting maritime criminals. In the past, it may have been difficult to gather evidence of maritime crime as they do occur in remote areas and witnesses might be afraid to or they might be reluctant to come forward to attest to such events. Other roles I could see are also search and rescue missions, pollution monitoring, and also border control. However, there are possible challenges existing that might be in advance to full-scale integration of these uncrude systems, which are regulation problems, privacy concerns, operational limits of this equipment as well, and resolving these issues are necessary to enhance their full potential. The current usage of unmanned technology in West Africa has definitely laid down a strong foundation for future growth.

While challenges remain, I'm very optimistic that we would see a much more effective utilization of these on-campus systems in enhancing maritime security and ensuring a safe maritime environment in West Africa. You're also calling for an intelligence-based approach to combating maritime crime. What do you mean by that and what resources exist to execute that strategy? Maritime security refers to a proactive and information-driven strategy aimed at identifying and addressing security threats in the West African region. It involves or it typically involves this systematic collection, analysis, and dissemination of relevant data. to enable well-informed decision-making. There are key elements of this approach, which includes robust data collection,

in-depth analysis, threat analysis, or threat assessment, and sharing critical information among stakeholders, such as law enforcement, industry actors, international organizations. The core principle of this intelligence-based approach is to harness actionable intelligence to pinpoint potential threats and prevent criminal activities before they occur. This approach prioritizes the utilization of various intelligence gathering techniques, which includes human intelligence.

This involves gathering information from human sources. We have signal intelligence, which involves intercepting and analyzing in electronic communication, such as radio transmission, satellite transmissions. These are to gain insight into criminal planning, coordination, and movements. We also have another type of gathering technique is geospatial intelligence, which involves analyzing satellite imagery for real-time monitoring. We have radar systems, EIS data. All of this is to identify maritime activities like vessel movement,

illegal fishing, operations, potential transshipment points for illicit drugs as well. Another gathering technique is open source intelligence. This involves gathering information from publicly available sources such as news, articles, social media forums to pick and identify threats, potential criminal network and communication patterns as well. Speaking about resources, to execute this strategy, a wide range of resources must be utilized, which may include maritime domain awareness systems, advanced surveillance technologies such as drones or manned systems and analytical AI integrated software application

to interpret the data collected. Another resource is dedicated maritime coordination centers in the region to serve as hubs for intelligence dissemination. As far as this concept, challenges do exist and examples of these challenges include limited resources, data quality issues, legal constraints. However, there are active working solutions to address some of these challenges. For instance, the development of standardized data sharing protocols and increased investment in technology are promising solutions as well. An intelligence-based approach is a dynamic and forward-looking strategy

to secure the West African region. By effective gathering, analyzing, and sharing intelligence, there can be better equipment to tackle maritime crime. As the intelligence-based approach is a multifaceted approach that relies on technology, collaboration, and expertise, and I remain optimistic about the potentials of this strategy to enhance maritime security in the West African region. Now, unfortunately, that's all the time that we have for today. I'd like to thank my guest, Ibaloa George Ojoami. Ibaloa, where can we find you online and what are you working on next? You can find me out on social medias like LinkedIn and Twitter, which are my most active, with my full name, Ibaloa George Ojoami. On Google, you can see most of my works by also searching for my full name, Ibaloa George Ojoami.

next project is on imaging maritime security threats drone attacks i feel that warfare surrounding certain countries like ukraine russia israel has showcased the utilization of armed drones i am interested in turning more lights on the frequency the uprise and sophistication of this unmanned system modified as weapons that can threaten the maritime environment and possible countermeasures as drones can be both physical and cyber or electronic. Thank you. Well, thank you again for joining us. To listeners, thanks for tuning in.

We'll see you next time. ¶¶ ¶¶ Put it on the shimbo now, so help me Bob, I'm putting it in the alley, way, way, putting it in the alley, help me Bob, I'm putting it in the alley, putting it on the shimbo now.