Dakar, 15-16 March 2026 — The Senegalese capital hosted the Regional Forum on Maritime Security in West Africa, bringing together 23 countries bordering the Atlantic and Gulf of Guinea.

FIVE MAJOR POINTS TO RETAIN

1. Adoption of a regional charter for shared maritime surveillance, covering an exclusive economic zone of more than 4 million km2.

2. Establishment of a fusion centre for maritime information (MFIC) based in Dakar, operational by the end of 2026.

3. Signature of 12 bilateral cooperation agreements between coastal States for the sharing of maritime information.

4. Call for a revision of the security architecture of the Gulf of Guinea, integrating unconventional threats: piracy, traceability of illegal fishing, trafficking.

5. Announcement of a training programme for 500 naval officers by 2028, jointly funded by the AU and the EU.

The next edition of the forum will be held in Abidjan in March 2027. The conclusions of this meeting will be forwarded to the AU Peace and Security Council for integration into the integrated African strategy on seas and oceans.