Lomé Charter (2016) – The future anchorage for enhanced African maritime governance

• Jurisdiction: South Africa
• Pages: 75-80
• Date: 22 May 2019
• Author: Walker, T.
• Citation: 2017 JOLGA 75
• Published date: 22 May 2019

75

THE FUTURE ANCHORAGE FOR

ENHANCED AFRICAN MARITIME

GOVERNANCE?

The 2016 African Charter on Maritime Security and Safety and

Development in Africa (Lomé Charter)†

Enhanced African security, development and governance is

fast becoming one of the most debated and discussed issues in

African international relations, security studies and law. A better

understanding of the interlinkages between each of those issues is

now seen as fundamental to creating policies that will contribute

to Africa’s overall social and economic transformation.1

The 2016 African Charter on Maritime Security and Safety and

Development in Africa (Lomé Charter)2 is undoubtedly significant

in this regard as it provides just such a legally-binding framework

for States to both enhance their own national capacity as well

as cooperate and contribute at regional and continental levels to

common projects and goals. However, it is odd to try and research

such an important document when it has yet to be made available

by the AU while it remains obviously incomplete.

The fact that the Lomé Charter was signed by 31 States on the

15th of October 2016 was a notable achievement,3 as was the number

of Heads of State who attended an extraordinary summit focused on

African maritime concerns and aspirations. Significantly though,

the Charter was not signed by all coastal States including African

maritime role players such as Cameroon, Egypt, Mauritius and

South Africa. While other coastal States such as Kenya, Nigeria

† Timothy Walker is a researcher focusing on African maritime security

in the Peace Operations and Peacebuilding Division at the Institute for

Security Studies (ISS). He joined the ISS in February 2011 and worked

first in the Conflict Prevention and Risk Analysis Division.

1 AU Commission Agenda 2063 – The Africa We Want (2015) (available

at http://www.un.org/en/africa/osaa/pdf/au/agenda2063.pdf, accessed

on 20 June 2017).

2 The text of the Charter is reproduced below from page 90.

3 Algeria, Angola, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cabo Verde, the Central African

Republic, Chad, Congo, Côte d’Ivoire, the DRC, Gabon, Ghana, Guinea,

Kenya, Liberia, Libya, Madagascar, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Nigeria,

Rwanda, São Tomé e Príncipe, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Somalia,

Sudan, Tanzania, Togo, Tunisia and Western Sahara (a member of

the AU but not of the United Nations).

2017 JOLG 75

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