Cote d'Ivoire to enhance its maritime security: PM

Cote d'Ivoire Prime Minister Daniel Kablan Duncan on Monday said the country plans to enhance its maritime security and also take part in efforts to improve security within the Gulf of Guinea region.

The prime minister was speaking during the opening of a two-day international seminar on maritime security. The seminar brought together Cote d'Ivoire authorities and experts as well as delegations from other regional countries.

According to the executive secretary of the Inter-Ministerial Committee for the State Action in the Sea Abdoulaye Fofana, the seminar aims to promote better coordination of a more secure and safe maritime zone for the service of the country.

"It will enable Cote d'Ivoire state to benefit from the expertise of different actors in the fight against organized crime," he noted.

Fofana insisted on the need for Cote d'Ivoire to make securing of its territorial waters the backbone of its economic development.

Prime minister Duncan highlighted the challenge Cote d'Ivoire was facing in its attempt to secure its maritime zone.

"Countries within the Gulf of Guinea should harmonize their actions in the fight against new threats that include maritime piracy," Duncan said.

A director from the office of the president Jean-Louis Moulot recalled that 90 percent of Cote d'Ivoire trade exchanges are done through the maritime path, and 88 percent of the country's customs revenue are collected at the Abidjan port and San-Pedro port in the southwestern region.

According to him, this means that the government should prioritise securing the country's maritime zone. Endit