The African Maritime Forces Summit (AMFS) and Naval Infantry Leadership Symposium(NILS) gathered on Thursday, 2 May 2024, with a deep call to action from participating nations to improve regional cooperation and combat maritime security threats and terror threats. Navies and coastal forces face an array of challenges, including illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing, piracy and terrorism, environmental change, and drug trafficking. The issues cross international borders within the continent, creating enforcement problems.

The three-day event, co-hosted by the Ghana Navy in collaboration with the US Naval Forces Africa, brought together senior naval officers and professionals from over 40 countries from four continents, as well as international allies. The summit and symposium concentrated on addressing emerging maritime security challenges, sharing best practices, and constructing capacity among African navies. 

Delegates examined topics such as strategies for collaboration and models for combined operations, the spectrum of maritime action; at sea and in the littorals, considering maritime security interventions; refining global collaborations and countering and prosecuting illicit maritime activity.

The Minister for Defence, Hon Dominic Nitiwul in his farewell speech, praised the summit and symposium for its emphasis on enhancing regional cooperation and capacity building to address Maritime security challenges. He praised the Ghana Navy for excellently co-hosting the largest gathering of maritime giants and the US Naval and Marine Corps Forces Africa, for selecting Ghana as the destination for the summit. 

In his closing remarks, the Chief of the Naval Staff, Rear Admiral Issah Yakubu stated that the summit and symposium have been a platform for networking, knowledge sharing, regional collaboration and capacity building. He emphasized the need for coordinated action to secure Africa’s oceans. “We owe ourselves a duty of care to protect the oceans for posterity’s sake, and each country no matter how small can contribute its quota to this agenda,” he said.

Rear Admiral Yakubu conveyed his heartfelt gratitude to the President of the Republic Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo for making time to extend the event. He was also the Commander, of US Naval Forces Europe and Africa, Admiral Stuart B Munsch and the Commander, of US Marine Corps Forces Europe and Africa, Major General Robert Sofge and all outstanding guests who travelled far and near for the summit and symposium. 

Admiral Munsch and Major General Sofge jointly praised the participants for their engagement and commitment to the regional association. “This summit and symposium display our shared dedication to maritime security and stability in Africa,” he expressed.

The US Chief of Naval Operations, Admiral Lisa Franchetti in a televised speech to the delegates said, the summit and symposium showed the power of collaboration and the importance of performing together to secure Africa’s oceans. As the event concluded, participants left with a renewed sense of purpose and a commitment to improve collaboration and information sharing to address the complex maritime security challenges facing the continent.