Dancing in the Gulf : maritime security cooperation in the Gulf of Guinea as a pathway to strengthening Africa-EU relations

Abstract

The EU has long played the role of a critical maritime security provider in the Gulf. Its efforts, however, have been perceived to have dual effects: they are mutually beneficial and also – more controversially – seen as infringements of regional sovereignty.1 This dualism is further aggravated by the region’s volatility as a centre of great-power competition. Africa and the EU can either leverage their long-standing partnership to galvanise efforts in the shared agenda of enhancing maritime security in the Gulf of Guinea or face heightened geopolitical tension characterised by sovereignty versus great-power competition in the region. Given the fluidity and synergy of the ocean space, the former provides a unique opportunity to shape the context of Africa-EU relations far beyond the confines of the Gulf of Guinea in a manner that will be mutually beneficial to both parties.