Maritime Security
G7 + + Friends of the Gulf of Guinea (FoGG)
Plenary Meeting in Senegal in 2023
- From December 5 to 7, 2023, the G7++ Friends of the Gulf of Guinea (G7++ FoGG), a coordination mechanism to address and cooperate against illicit maritime activities in the Gulf of Guinea, was held in Dakar, Senegal, in a hybrid format.
- At this meeting, celebrating the 10th anniversary of the meeting, the participants discussed the achievements made under the past efforts and the way forward for improving maritime security in the Gulf of Guinea, including countermeasures against piracy and armed robbery, and challenges concerning Yaoundé Code of Conduct. The meeting was co-chaired by Côte d'Ivoire and Germany, and attended by G7 countries, littoral states of the Gulf of Guinea, as well as other countries concerned and international organizations. From Japan, officials from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs attended the meeting.
G7++ Friends of the Gulf of Guinea was established in 2013 by the United Kingdom, as the G8 Presidency, as a coordination mechanism to prevent duplication of efforts and cooperate among G7 and European countries, international organizations, shipping organizations, etc. to combat maritime crimes in the Gulf of Guinea. In continuation from 2023, Côte d'Ivoire and Germany co-chaired the meeting in 2024.
The Code was signed by 22 countries in Central and West Africa in June 2013 at the Summit on Maritime Safety and Security in the Gulf of Guinea held in Yaoundé attended by heads of state and government of the Economic Community of Central African States (ECCAS), the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), and the Gulf of Guinea Commission (GGC). The Code stipulates information sharing and reporting on transnational maritime organized crime, interdiction of vessels engaged in such crimes, and cooperation on apprehension and punishment of those involved. (Yaoundé Code of Conduct is not legally binding).