ABSTRACT
Renewed focus on the world’s oceans has brought about a shift that one can broadly frame as a rivalry between competitive no-limits exploitation and cooperative or collaborative endeavours towards the responsible and sustainable use of ocean territories. The competition portrays a growing sense of international concern with keeping the world’s oceans productive, safe, and sustainable. Africa is not isolated from the larger debate on preserving, protecting, and securing the oceans. African maritime threats and vulnerabilities such as piracy off Somalia, oil theft in the Niger Delta, drug smuggling in the Western Indian Ocean, and illegal fishing in the Gulf of Guinea reside at the forefront of endeavours to roll back threats and mobilize international, African, and business imperatives to use the continent’s ocean resources productively under safe and secure conditions. Maritime security is a complex global problem to be tackled locally and regionally by policymakers and practitioners.
