Security personnel and experts in the maritime sector have expressed worry over the prevalence of transnational organised crime in the Gulf of Guinea.
They attributed the menace mainly to the lack of political will of States to prioritise and invest in maritime security.
Corruption and greed were also mentioned as other factors fueling such criminal acts.
The maritime and security experts raised the concerns on day three of a 2-week Course on Maritime Security and Transnational Organised Crime in Accra.
The Course, being sponsored by the German Government, will train 24 participants from Ghana, Cote d’Ivoire, Republic of Congo, Gambia, Senegal, Nigeria and Liberia.
The participants were drawn from the Ghana Armed Forces, Ghana Police Service, Ghana Immigration Service, Ghana Prisons Service, Customs Division of GRA, Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority, Fisheries Commission, Narcotics Control Commission, National Boundary Commission, Volta Lake Transport Company, Gulf of Guinea Maritime Institute and some media houses.
Transnational organised crime refers to those self-perpetuating associations of individuals who operate transnationally for the purpose of obtaining power, influence, monetary and/or commercial gains, wholly or in part by illegal means.
There are many activities that can be characterised as transnational organised crime.
They include drug trafficking, smuggling of migrants, human trafficking, money-laundering, trafficking in firearms, counterfeit goods, wildlife and cultural property, and even some aspects of cybercrime.
During his presentation on the subject, Mr Benjamin Ndego, an expert in Organised Crime and Money Laundering, said organised crime challenged the State’s monopoly on the use of force.
He said according to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, cross border crime was worth about $2.1 trillion per year.
Mr Ndego said globalisation had unintentionally enhanced the capacity of criminals to organise themselves to conduct crimes across borders.
He said it also allowed them to generate billions of dollars and prey on every aspect of global society.
“TOC exacerbates corruption and undermines the rule of law, democratic processes, and transparent business practices in several African States that already suffer from weak institutions.”
“The World Bank estimates about $1 trillion is spent each year to bribe public officials, causing an array of economic distortions and damage to legitimate economic activity,” he said.
Mr Ndego said lack of transparency and cooperation between local and international institutions impeded efforts to combat transnational organised crimes.
He said the existence of vast and porous borders further worsened the situation.
The expert advised stakeholders to set up task forces to prevent cross-border crimes and to engage in trans-border intelligence sharing.
He called for a multi-lateral approach that involved the whole international community to counter those non-traditional threats.
The facilitator said traditional state-centric responses should be modified to consider the nature of new threats.
He said involvement of non-state actors could also be useful, especially when coordinated with international responses.
