Maritime Security Threats in the Gulf of Guinea: Revisiting Effective Anti-Piracy Mechanisms between AFRICOM and the Gulf of Guinea Commission

Abstract

The study evaluates the growing prevalence of piracy in the Gulf of Guinea region. It reveals that trade and regional integration efforts among Gulf countries would be impeded in the absence of formidable security measures aimed at ensuring the security of the Gulf. Some scholars suggest the presence of a powerful military command base like the U.S.-African Military Command (AFRICOM) proposed by the American government as a suitable deterrence and approach to combating pirate activities and other maritime criminalities due to its sophistication compared to those of Gulf countries combined. Others criticize it, arguing that while a U.S. military base would serve the overall interests of America, it would pose serious security threats to Gulf countries. In light of the inadequate maritime security arrangements by the Gulf states, this paper suggests military cooperation between the U.S.-AFRICOM and those of the Gulf countries be established to deal with piracy threats. This will mitigate the security threat within the Guld region and foster an environment conducive to the growth of trade and commerce. Secondary data from textbooks, journal articles, and other archival materials is utilized, and an exploratory approach is used to analyze it.