Nigeria, Five ECOWAS Navies Launch Maritime Task Force for Gulf of Guinea

Nigeria and five West African nations have agreed to operationalise a regional maritime task force aimed at strengthening coordinated security operations in the Gulf of Guinea and tackling transnational maritime crimes.

The decision was reached at the Fifth Meeting of the ECOWAS Sub-Committee of Chiefs of the Naval Staff held in Accra, Ghana, from 16 to 20 February 2026. The meeting brought together naval chiefs from member states, alongside the ECOWAS Commissioner for Political Affairs, Peace and Security, Ambassador Abdel-Fatau Musah, as well as representatives of regional maritime security centres and international partners.

A statement released by Captain Abiodun Folorunsho Acting, Director Naval Information of the Nigerian Navy, on Monday in Abuja.

The statement noted that the Navy Chiefs discussed operationalisation of the Combined Maritime Task Force (CMTF), conceived as a coalition of “ready nations” capable of rapid, coordinated responses to maritime threats within the Gulf of Guinea.

The five countries were Côte d’Ivoire, The Gambia, Ghana, Liberia and Sierra Leone — formally expressed interest in joining Nigeria in the initiative. The official flag-off of the task force is scheduled to take place in Lagos from 31 May to 1 June 2026.

As host nation, Nigeria has committed three naval ships, one helicopter, eight vehicles and a temporary furnished office in Lagos to facilitate the launch of the force. The CMTF is expected to serve as a ready-to-deploy formation leveraging intelligence from maritime coordination centres under the Yaoundé Architecture to counter piracy, armed robbery at sea, drug trafficking, and illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing.

Speaking at the meeting, Ambassador Musah applauded the progress made since the adoption of the ECOWAS Integrated Maritime Strategy, particularly the conduct of Operation SAFE DOMAIN in Zone E, Operation ANOUANZE in Zone F, and joint maritime patrols in Zone G.

He emphasised the need for broader security cooperation to confront emerging threats. According to him, member states must strengthen coordination to address “terrorism, drug trafficking, and illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing,” while improving collaboration with landlocked countries to tackle transnational organised crime.

The Commissioner also acknowledged Nigeria’s Falcon Eye maritime surveillance system, commending the country’s leadership in combating maritime criminality in the Gulf of Guinea.

The Chief of the Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Idi Abbas, reaffirmed Nigeria’s commitment to deepening maritime collaboration within the sub-region, stressing that enhanced interoperability and intelligence sharing remain critical to securing sea lines of communication and offshore assets.

The establishment of the Combined Maritime Task Force is expected to improve real-time information exchange, strengthen joint operational planning and enhance deterrence across one of the world’s most strategically vital maritime corridors.

With firm commitments secured from participating navies, the initiative signals a renewed push for an African-led, regionally coordinated response to maritime insecurity in the Gulf of Guinea.