Safe Seas Africa Programme to strengthen regional maritime security architecture
Mauritius will establish a maritime coordination centre and the Safe Seas Africa (SSA) programme will provide support through capacity-building and equipment to respond to maritime threats, said the Secretary for Home Affairs at the Prime Minister’s Office, Mrs Doreen Fong Weng-Poorun, this morning, at the Caudan Arts Centre in Port Louis.
She was speaking at the launching ceremony of the SSA Programme during the first Steering Committee, in the presence of the Ambassador of the European Union (EU), Mr Oskar Benedikt; the Officer-in-Charge at the General Secretariat of the Indian Ocean Commission (IOC), Mr Raj Mohabeer; and, other personalities.
This first Steering Committee bringing together representatives from international maritime organisations and the African Union as well as key international partners is taking place on 28 and 29 May 2025, for the operational implementation of the SSA programme.
The SSA programme, funded by the EU to the tune of 15.8 million euros, aims to strengthen maritime security in East Africa and the Indian Ocean. It is coordinated by the IOC and jointly implemented by the International Maritime Organization, the International Criminal Police Organization and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime. SSA is a continuation of the Maritime Security (MASE) programme, which enabled the establishment of a regional architecture for maritime security.
In her keynote address Mrs Fong Weng-Poorun pointed out that the launching of the SSA programme is a testament of shared commitments to secure sustainable seas across the Indian Ocean, increasingly threatened by piracy, illegal drug trafficking and fishing and environmental hazards. She indicated that the programme builds directly on the foundation laid by the MASE programme which started as a response to several maritime threats.
She further recalled that the MASE programme has set up two regional centres namely the Regional Maritime Information Fusion Centre in Madagascar, and the Regional Coordination Operations Centre in Seychelles.
Mrs Fong Weng-Poorun extended gratitude to the EU as well as to regional and international partners for their continued confidence in Mauritius. She also thanked key international partners such as India, the United States, Australia and Japan for playing an important role in improving the regional maritime security architecture.
Furthermore, she reiterated that maritime security remains a priority for Mauritius as mentioned by the Prime Minister, Dr Navinchandra Ramgoolam in his speech at the fifth IOC Summit in Madagascar. She called for improved multi-agency approach for enhanced maritime safety in the wake of complex challenges.
EU Ambassador Benedikt, for his part, reaffirmed the commitment of the EU as a reliable partner to beef up maritime security in the region. According to him, the SSA, is an important project to ensure stronger collaboration among Member States to fight transboundary maritime dangers.
Mr Mohabeer spoke on illicit maritime activities, highlighting that 95% of drug cases emanate from the sea. The SSA programme will help for more collaborative work to strengthen regional capacities of law enforcement agencies to tackle maritime crimes adding that the Centre to be set up in Mauritius will enable more coordination with other counties to track maritime crimes.
Source : GIS Mauritius
