Five countries; Cote d’Ivoire, The Gambia, Ghana, Liberia, and Sierra Leone have expressed interest to join Nigeria to operationalize the Combined Maritime Task Force (CMTF).
This is in line with the Committee of the Chiefs of Defence Staff approval to operationalize the CMTF through a coalition of ready nations.
A statement by Captain AA Folorunsho the Acting Director of Information Nigerian Navy, disclosed that this was one of the outcomes of the Fifth Meeting of ECOWAS SubCommittee of Chiefs of the Naval Staff in Ghana from 16 – 20 February 2026.
The Chief of the Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Idi Abbas Admiralty Medal, joined other Chiefs of the Naval Staff at the Fifth Meeting
The flag-off of the CMTF is scheduled to take place in Lagos from 31 May to 1 June 2026.
The Fifth meeting of ECOWAS SubCommittee of Chiefs of the Naval Staff praised Nigeria’s actions as the host country of the CMTF, and commended
its support for the launch of the CMTF by designating 3 ships, 1 helicopter,
8 vehicles, and a temporary furnished office in Lagos.
The CMTF is expected to be a ready-to-deploy force capable of rapid,
coordinated regional maritime security responses, leveraging information from maritime centres within the Yaounde Architecture to address the
growing, complex security threats in the Gulf of Guinea.
The Chief of the Naval Staff’s strategic engagements at the meeting reaffirm Nigeria’s role as a key player in maritime security in the region, especially with the secured commitments from willing navies to join the
CMTF.
His unwavering commitment to collaborating with partner navies under the Yaoundé Code of Conduct is expected to enhance regional coordination, promote the exchange of best practices, and help develop an African-led solution for a more effective collective response to maritime threats in the GoG and across West Africa’s maritime domain.
The Naval Chiefs were joined by the ECOWAS Commissioner for
Political Affairs, Peace and Security (ECOWAS-CPAPS), His Excellency,
Ambassador Abdel-Fatau Musah.
Also in attendance are the Directors of the West Africa regional
Maritime Security Centre and the Multinational Maritime Coordination
Centres (MMCC) Zones E, F and G.
Other attendees include the
representatives of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC)
and the European Union-African Chamber of Commerce, as well as the
Commander of the Combined Maritime Task Force (CMTF).
At the meeting, the ECOWAS-CPAPS applauded the progress made since
the adoption of the ECOWAS Integrated Maritime Strategy, with the conduct of Operation SAFE DOMAIN in Zone E, Operation ANOUANZE in
Zone F, and Joint Maritime Patrols in MMCC Zone G.
He underscored the
need for broader security cooperation to address terrorism, drug
trafficking, and illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing, emphasising
the need for better coordination with landlocked countries such as Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger to address terrorism and other transnational organised crime.
The Commissioner acknowledged
Nigeria’s sophisticated FALCON EYE surveillance system and leadership
in the fight against maritime criminality in the Gulf of Guinea (GoG).
He further urged the meeting to devise steps to address the receding water
levels in the Lake Chad Basin.