Investing in Science and Technology to Meet Africa's Maritime Security Challenges (Africa Security Brief, Number 10, February 2011)
2011
Vogel, Augustus
The African maritime security challenge is defined by the need to monitor wide geographic expanses with limited resources. Science and technology are invaluable maritime security force multipliers. Investment in "technology" without support for "science" is unsustainable. Complementary investments in African research institutions are needed to create collaborative "anchors" to sustain the effectiveness of maritime security efforts. There are a number of major reasons why Africa struggles to meet its maritime security challenges. First, exclusive economic zones (EEZs), which reach out 200 nautical miles from a coastline, are by definition large and difficult to monitor. This situation is exacerbated in Africa because of resource limitations. Off of West and Central Africa, for example, there are fewer than 25 maritime craft longer than 25 meters available for interdiction efforts. Many African countries, moreover, have prioritized investment in land-based forces over maritime units, thereby rendering any surveillance beyond coastal observation all but impossible. Lastly, maritime policing and management are never performed by a single agency but instead require a level of interministerial coordination and collaboration that is often difficult to achieve.
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