Luanda - The commander of the Angolan Navy (MGA), Admiral Valentim António, defended this Wednesday, in Luanda, greater maritime security in the African region and other regions, taking into account free trade and the consequent development of the world economy.
The admiral was speaking at a press conference about the 5th edition of the Grand African NEMO Naval Exercise, whose zonal phase A, coordinated by Angola, begins on Thursday in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
According to the commander, maritime security must be taken into account as one of the fundamental elements for the world economy, which is why it is necessary to make the most of naval platforms, in order to do more about their task, as well as other mechanisms that can assist in maritime situational awareness.
In this context, he defended the implementation of partnerships, exchanges of information between countries, as well as interconnection between ports, in order to work based on combined factors and transform safer maritime routes for the necessary commercial exchanges.
He went on to say that the country is engaged in this strategy, as its maritime routes offer security and, as coordinator of zone A, Angola has an important role to play in the Gulf of Guinea region.
“Without this control, we cannot know what is happening in our sea. And if Angola protects and provides security for its sea, it will also be contributing to global security”, he said, highlighting that several maritime routes pass through the country, in the Atlantic area.
As for the exercise, he considered it important to help combat negative actions that restrict traffic in this strategic area of the continent and weaken the world economy.
He added that it is based on training that excellence is achieved, which is why he highlighted the fight against threats that emerge from the sea, especially those linked to piracy, armed robbery of ships, criminal marine pollution, illegal fishing, drugs, weapon and human smuggling.
The Grand African NEMO is an annual exercise embodied in the Yaoundé (Cameroon) code of conduct aimed at the naval forces of the Gulf of Guinea countries, taking into account maritime security and trade in the region and beyond.
It includes national and zonal phases, the latter being divided by member states into Zone A (Angola, Republic of Congo and DR Congo), Zone D (São Tomé and Príncipe, Cameroon and Gabon), Zone E (Togo, Benin and Nigeria), Zone F (Sierra Leone, Liberia, Cote d'Ivoire and Ghana) and Zone G (Cabo Verde, Senegal, Gambia, Guinea-Bissau and the Republic of Guinea).
The training involves a partnership between North and South Atlantic countries, namely the United States of America, England, France, Italy, Spain and Brazil.
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