ADF

Although piracy is not new to East Africa, the seeds of modern piracy were sown off the coast of Somalia after the collapse of the national government in 1991. With no navy to patrol the Gulf of Aden, Somali waters became vulnerable to international fishing vessels, which plundered fish stocks and were accused by locals of dumping toxic waste into the ocean. A 2009 Time magazine report indicated that piracy rose in response to indiscriminant foreign trawling, which took plentiful mackerel, sardines and tuna from the ocean at a pace that “would virtually empty the world’s oceanic stocks by 2050,”…

Piracy in Africa’s Gulf of Guinea ramped up later and took on a different character than piracy in East Africa. Pirates and maritime criminals in West Africa mainly sought to steal oil from tankers, a process called bunkering. However, there have been more instances of kidnapping for ransom in recent years that The Maritime Executive attributes to two causes: First, increased naval patrols in the gulf mean that thieves and pirates don’t always have the time to pull vessels alongside oil tankers and drain them of crude. Second, a dip in global oil prices makes bunkering less profitable. Kidnapping for…

U.S. Africa Command Staff Africa, a continent with 30,500 kilometers of coastline, sees its future and fortunes inextricably tied to the sea. With its wealth of life-sustaining fish and energy-producing resources, the ocean can support development and prosperity on land. The sea also is the source of many challenges. Although the number of incidents has dropped from its peak nearly a decade ago, Somali-based piracy still presents a danger in the Gulf of Aden and the Indian Ocean. In fact, the number of incidents has increased steadily since 2016. In the Gulf of Guinea, West African nations still must contend…

We are making efforts to tackle piracy, sea robbery and all illegal activities within our maritime domain through the establishment of the Maritime Guard Command with the combined efforts of NIMASA [Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency], the Nigerian Navy, Nigerian Air Force, Nigerian Police Force, and Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps. We are championing the anti-piracy bill before the National Assembly to provide a legal framework for punishing piracy and other maritime crimes. When passed into law, it will ensure adequate sanctions against offenders and act as a deterrent to others. We have also achieved over 85 percent…

AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE Bismark Owusu covers clothes and furniture with a sheet before mixing a mosquito-killing chemical with water. He then puts on safety gear, straps the spray pack to his back and methodically sprays walls, windows and corners of the room. Owusu’s visit to Domeabra, a community in central Ghana, is his latest stop in the country’s fight against malaria. The death of two of his friends from the disease spurs him on. “Why wouldn’t I help if others are dying?” he said. “I am here today helping to eradicate this deadly malaria.” There were 216 million cases of malaria…

THOMSON REUTERS FOUNDATION Growing up on Mount Boutmezguida in southwest Morocco, Khadija Ghouate never imagined that fog would change her life. Every day Ghouate and other women would walk 5 kilometers to fetch water from open wells. Overuse and drought made getting water more difficult. But a mathematician whose family came from the area had an idea: using fog to make water. Now Ghouate’s village is connected to the world’s largest fog collection project. “You always had to go to the wells — always be there, mornings, evenings,” Ghouate said. “But now water has arrived in our house. I like…

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS Joseph Kamonjo Kariuki, 37, known in his Kenyan village as “Joseph of the Donkeys,” thinks three of his animals were victims of a black market scheme that uses donkey skins as a key ingredient in a Chinese health fad. Animal rights groups say agents are seeking to feed China’s insatiable appetite for a gelatin they call ejiao (pronounced “uh-jee-ow”), which is made from stewed donkey skins and purports to provide health benefits. Shrinking donkey herds in China have driven ejiao producers to seek supplies from Africa, Australia and South America, activists say. Fourteen African governments have banned…

Piracy Remains a Problem, but African Nations Are Working Together ADF Staff With more than 30,000 kilometers of coastline, the fortunes of the African continent are inextricably bound to safety and security at sea. From Senegal to Angola, nations are working to deter pirates and thieves who ply the waters of the Gulf of Guinea for oil, fish and ransoms. In the Red Sea, Gulf of Aden and the Indian Ocean — all the way down to the Mozambique Channel — nations and international forces combat Somali pirates, who have staged something of a resurgence recently. Seventy percent of Africa’s nations —…

Foreign Trawlers are Depleting Africa’s Fish Stocks, but Nations Have the Tools to Fight Back ADF STAFF For the Oleg Naydenov, a Russian trawler, the blue waters off the coast of West Africa once were an all-you-can-eat buffet. The rusted 120-meter vessel and its 82-person crew could haul in and process 18,000 metric tons of fish each year. They paid little attention to the laws in the waters where they sailed, operating without permits. That changed in 2012 when Senegal strengthened its laws, increased enforcement and raised the maximum penalty for ships caught fishing illegally. In late 2013, French forces…

Rear Adm. Peter Kofi Faidoo of Ghana  Sees Collaboration, Technology and Training as Keys to a Safer Gulf of Guinea Rear Adm. Faidoo is Ghana’s chief of naval staff. Before his appointment in 2016, he held a number of posts, including director of Naval Operations and National Maritime Security coordinator. In 2012, he was appointed director general of training at the General Headquarters, and, in 2015, he became flag officer commanding the Western Naval Command. In 1998, as commanding officer of the GNS Sebo, he took part in the Naval Task Force of the Economic Community of West African States…