Accra: Captain Gérard Kérébel of the French Navy, Officer in Primary Responsibility for the Grand African Naval Exercise (Grand African NEMO 2025), has underscored the importance of building trust, understanding, and interoperability among countries of the Gulf of Guinea to effectively tackle maritime insecurity in the sub-region. Capt. Kérébel, speaking at the Final Planning Conference of the exercise in Accra, said the most important element in maritime security was confidence among participating nations. He stated, ‘When it comes to maritime security, confidence is the most important word. Without mutual trust, no country can face these challenges alone.’
According to Ghana News Agency, the conference, being held from October 13 to 15, 2025, brings together representatives of the Yaoundé Architecture, navies, coast guards, maritime administrations, and State Action at Sea organizations from countries bordering the Gulf of Guinea, as well as international partners. The three-day meeting aims to finalize pl
ans for the major regional maritime security exercise, Grand African NEMO (GANO) 2025, scheduled for November 10 to 17, 2025.
Last year’s edition of the Grand African NEMO exercise, held from November 4 to 11, 2024, brought together 26 partner nations and involved nearly 70 complex scenarios, 55 vessels, 11 aircraft, and more than 4,000 personnel across the Gulf of Guinea. Over the three days, the participants from Gulf of Guinea countries and partner nations will discuss and finalize the exercise scenarios to be conducted next month.
Now in its eighth year, the Grand African NEMO exercise is a joint initiative of the Yaoundé Architecture and the French Navy, designed to enhance cooperation, coordination, and capacity among Gulf of Guinea nations to combat maritime threats such as piracy, illegal fishing, illicit trafficking, and marine pollution. Capt. Kérébel explained that the final planning conference in Accra followed a series of meetings earlier in the year, including the initial planning conference i
n March and the main planning conference held in France in June.
These discussions, he said, had been crucial in refining the operational scenarios and ensuring that the exercise responds to the specific security challenges and priorities of each participating country. ‘Over the past year, we have been working closely with our African colleagues to plan and coordinate this exercise, which brings together countries from Senegal to Angola. The goal of this collective effort is to strengthen the maritime community by building shared knowledge, confidence, and operational readiness,’ he said.
The exercise, according to Capt. Kérébel, covers the entire Gulf of Guinea region, from Senegal to Angola, and involves almost 10 foreign navies, some of which will provide assets, observers, or training expertise. It also includes regional organizations and international partners such as the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), which supports legal and judicial cooperation, and the European Union, which assis
ts through programs addressing illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing.
Capt. Kérébel emphasized that effective maritime security could only be achieved through collaboration and mutual understanding. ‘The ocean is vast, and threats do not respect borders. A vessel engaged in illegal activity can easily move from one country’s waters into another’s. If neighbouring countries do not communicate and cooperate, how can they effectively deal with such a situation? Collaboration is not just useful, it is essential,’ he said.
He added that the Grand African NEMO exercise was designed not only to test operational readiness but also to build relationships between maritime actors who must depend on each other during real incidents at sea. Capt. Kérébel said, ‘Through this exercise, we are fostering trust, understanding, and interoperability among the countries of the Gulf of Guinea. When nations know each other, train together, and share information, they become far stronger in addressing the shared chall
enges of maritime insecurity.’
The scenarios for the Grand African NEMO exercise, Capt. Kérébel said, were developed in collaboration with each country and aligned with the objectives of the Yaoundé Architecture, which was established under the Yaoundé Code of Conduct adopted by African Heads of State in June 2013. The upcoming exercise will simulate real maritime challenges, including the fight against IUU fishing, drug and human trafficking, illegal maritime pollution, and piracy, as well as search and rescue operations.
The training will involve both sea-based and land-based operations, testing coordination between naval units, coast guards, maritime coordination centers, and relevant agencies. ‘Each area of the Gulf of Guinea has its own priorities,’ Capt. Kérébel noted. ‘For instance, countries in Zone G, covering Senegal, Cabo Verde, The Gambia, and Guinea, are particularly focused on combating illegal fishing and narcotics trafficking, while others focus on piracy and environmental protection. Each s
cenario is tailored to local realities so that teams can train effectively and be ready to respond when these threats arise.’
This year’s exercise, Capt. Kérébel said, would build upon that success, further enhancing regional coordination and demonstrating the growing commitment of Gulf of Guinea nations and their partners to safeguarding one of Africa’s most strategic maritime zones.