Global incidents of piracy and armed robbery at sea increased in 2020, but Africa’s share of this total revealed deeply diverging regional trends. While reported incidents in the Western Indian Ocean and Gulf of Aden have declined significantly since a peak between 2008 and 2012, attacks in the Gulf of Guinea region continue to surge in volume and sophistication – accounting for over 95 per cent of global crew kidnappings in 2020.
With these mounting threats to the security of seafarers and cargo driving up kidnap and ransom insurance premiums and freight costs in the Gulf of Guinea in particular, industry and government stakeholders are demanding an urgent international response to bolster existing regional frameworks and protect key shipping routes.
At this webinar, which will also launch a new book on kidnap and ransom, speakers will discuss the human and economic cost of piracy and hostage taking, reflecting on approaches to piracy off the coast of Somalia and the key insights and opportunities for the response in the Gulf of Guinea.
This event will also be broadcast live on the Africa Programme Facebook page.
Participants
Keynote Address:
Ambassador Dr Monica Juma EGH, Cabinet Secretary, Ministry of Defence, Republic of Kenya; Chairperson, Contact Group on Piracy off the Coast of Somalia (CGPCS)
Panel Discussion:
Colin Freeman, Freelance Journalist; Author, Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea
Dr Ifesinachi Okafor-Yarwood, Lecturer, School of Geography and Sustainable Development, University of St Andrews
Colonel John Steed MBE, Response Coordinator, Hostage Support Partnership
Chair:
Dr Alex Vines, Managing Director, Risk, Ethics and Resilience; Director, Africa Programme, Chatham House
