Nigeria’s Chief Ọf Naval Staff, Gambo To Lead Speakers On Africa’s Blue Economy, Security Symposium In South Africa
Princess-Ekwi Ajide Abuja
Nigeria’s Chief of Naval Staff (CNS), Vice Admiral Awwal Zubairu Gambo, has been selected as Lead Speaker for an international symposium scheduled for May in South Africa, towards facilitating Blue Economy and Security in Africa.
The two-day symposium being organised by the Security Watch Africa Initiatives (SWAI) in conjunction with the Centre for Military Studies (CEMIS) of Stellenbosch University, South Africa, is billed for the 4th and 5th of May, 2023, with the theme ‘Blue Ocean Economy and Security in Africa: Challenges and Prospects for Agenda 2063’
A press statement issued by SWAI’s President/Chief Executive, Mr. Patrick Agbambu, noted that the Symposium, holding at the STIAS Conference Centre, Stellenbosch, South Africa, seeks to explore various aspects of the Blue Ocean Economy and the potential roles that the Navies of various countries can play, in conjunction with public and private sector entities, to ensure security on the continent’s ocean waters.
According to the statement, the programme is aimed at articulating practical mechanisms in actualizing the Blue Ocean Economy for the African continent using the Nigeria’s Chief of Naval Staff (CNS), Vice Admiral Awwal Zubairu Gambo’s outstanding leadership at the Nigerian Navy.
It said the discussions will be aimed at exploring how African Navies have experienced the unlocking of the Blue Economies in Africa and will further assist to foster inter-naval co-operations and relationships between ECOWAS and SADC Navies.
He stressed that the symposium will provide an important opportunity for the Chiefs of Navies to frame the agenda for Naval participation in their respective Blue water economies as there will also be syndicate discussions, and a feedback session to allow each syndicate, report their findings.
The statement notes the Symposium will close with a Consolidated Report of the findings.
Those expected to attend the Symposium, include Parliamentarians, Ministry/Secretary of Defence personnel, Practitioners in the Maritime space, the Academia, Defence Industry representatives among others.
The SWA President added that Students at Military Academies, are also expected at the Symposium while a limited number of seats will be opened for the public to apply to attend.
Interested delegates can register via link: https://forms.office.com/pages/responsepage.aspx?id=Azv6pjwKWEKEM6Eg3_zTSJL_MKtfkGlPvYw0iUkRgjxUM0dTVzVFOTc1Wk9NUk5FNU9FTVkzSEJRRC4u while the call for delegates closes on 20th April 2023 for foreign delegates and 28 April 2023 for African delegates, the statement indicated.
