Togo's maritime challenges: Why security remains a major issue

New research shows Togo has made progress in securing its coastline, but many challenges remain.

With the African Union’s Extraordinary Summit on Maritime Security, Safety and Development scheduled to be held in Lomé in October this year, Togo is confronting a range of maritime security concerns and issues. This report assesses the West African country’s progress in securing its coastline since 2012, when it recorded the second highest number of acts of piracy in the Gulf of Guinea after Nigeria. It also identifies the key challenges facing the country and offers recommendations.

About the authors

Barthélemy Blédé joined the ISS in May 2014 as a senior researcher in Peace Operations and Peacebuilding Division in the Dakar office. Before joining the ISS, Blede was chief project officer for the implementation of the International Ship and Port Facility Security Code in the Port of Abidjan. He also occupied several positions in the Ivorian maritime administration. He has degrees from the World Maritime University in Malmoe, Sweden; the School of Administrators of Maritime Affairs in Bordeaux, France; and the University of Abidjan.

André Diouf has been an intern in the Peace Operations and Peacebuilding Division at ISS Dakar between February 2015 and February 2016. He holds a master’s degree in public law from Gaston Berger University, Saint-Louis, Senegal.