GoGIN
The Gulf of Guinea Inter-regional Network
As a maritime area of intense activity, the Gulf of Guinea offers a great diversity of economic and marine resources. In recent years, it has experienced an expansion of accidents and criminal acts at sea (piracy, pollution, illegal traffic, illegal fishing, etc.), which jeopardise the development and blue economy of the entire region.
In response, the 22 Member States of the Economic Community of Central African States (ECCAS), the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and the Gulf of Guinea Commission (CGG) initiated the Yaoundé process to ensure the maritime security of the region. In June 2013, the Yaoundé Summit resulted in the signing of three instruments: the Declaration of Heads of State and Government, the Memorandum defining the cooperation between the regional organisations and the Code of Conduct. These instruments are at the origin of the information sharing architecture between the signatory countries.
In support of this initiative, the European Union adopted a strategy on the Gulf of Guinea in 2014, implemented through especially the Critical Maritime Routes program, to which belongs the GoGIN project (Inter-regional Network for the Gulf of Guinea).
The GoGIN project covers the 19 coastal countries, from Senegal to Angola, and works closely with the three regional organisations (ECCAS, ECOWAS, CGG), the three transnational centres (CRESMAO, CRESMAC and ICC), the five multinational coordination centres. and the national centres, constituting the architecture of Yaoundé.
Project managed by Expertise France, from October 2016 to October 2020, for a total amount of € 9,162,000.
Intended to enhance maritime safety and security in the Gulf of Guinea to promote the blue economy and economic development of coastal countries, the European GoGIN project aims more specifically to:
Following those objectives, the EU GoGIN is structured according to 5 groups of activities: