Maritime security and Africa: a huge task

The Chief of the South African Navy, Vice Admiral Mosiwa Samuel Hlongwane, at the recent Maritime Security Conference held in Simon's Town, described Africa as the final frontier of maritime security and discussed future threats and opportunities, strategies and business opportunities to improve the security of Africa's seas.

Illicit arms and drug trafficking, piracy, armed robbery at sea, crude oil theft, maritime terrorism, human trafficking, waste dumping and environmental damage, unregulated fishing and overfishing are just some of the major threats to Africa's maritime security.

These were some of the topics discussed at the 4th annual Maritime Security Conference (MSC) held in Simon's Town on 12 April. In his welcome address, Hlongwane pointed out that South Africa is a maritime nation that trades with the entire world and that the protection of national interests by the naval forces is more important today than ever before. Hlongwane emphasised that Africa as a whole remains highly dependent on maritime trade and that the African Armed Forces must reprioritise national and maritime security as an integral part of collective security, stability and peace.