Africa’s vast maritime domain, which handles about 90 percent of the continent’s imports and exports, is increasingly threatened by piracy, illegal fishing, trafficking, climate change, and weak institutional coordination, according to a policy brief by the Institute for Security Studies (ISS).
The institute has called for the creation of a permanent forum of African naval chiefs and coastguard leaders, alongside the launch of a continent-wide maritime exercise under the African Standby Force.
In the brief, titled “Securing Africa’s Maritime Leadership: From Policy to Action,” the ISS warns that despite ambitious continental frameworks aimed at protecting Africa’s waters and promoting the blue economy, persistent implementation gaps continue to undermine progress.
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These maritime insecurities pose a direct threat to trade, economic growth, and the success of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA). Among the primary challenges confronting African nations are illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing; piracy; armed robbery at sea; and the trafficking of drugs, weapons, fuel, and people.
The ISS highlights that an estimated 200 million Africans depend on fish as their primary source of protein, making illegal fishing not only a security concern but also a direct threat to food security and livelihoods across coastal communities.
Furthermore, Africa’s maritime challenges extend beyond traditional security threats. Climate change is accelerating sea-level rise and coastal erosion, while ports and maritime infrastructure face growing risks from cyberattacks, terrorism, and the misuse of drone technology by criminal and non-state actors.
“Africa’s maritime insecurity has the potential to trigger broader political instability, economic crises, and humanitarian catastrophes,” the authors state, citing the Gulf of Guinea as a prime example where illegal fishing and maritime crime have disrupted local economies and fueled regional instability.
Despite the adoption of key regional frameworks—such as the 2050 Africa’s Integrated Maritime Strategy (AIM Strategy) and the Lomé Charter on Maritime Security and Safety—progress has been slow.
The ISS attributes this stagnation to delayed ratifications, inadequate funding, fragmented institutional mandates, and the absence of a dedicated African Union (AU) maritime coordination body. Currently, maritime responsibilities are spread across several AU departments, weakening coordination and limiting the effective implementation of policies.
While regional bodies like the Southern African Development Community (SADC) and the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) have made strides, continental mechanisms linking these localized efforts remain limited.
