The 2026 Sea Power for Africa Symposium opened in Lagos on Tuesday at the Eko Convention Centre, Victoria Island, hosted by the Nigerian Navy as part of its 70th anniversary celebrations. The event brought together heads of navies, coast guards, maritime experts, and security stakeholders from across Africa and other regions. The Minister of State for Defence, Bello Muhammed Matawalle, declared the symposium open, praising the Nigerian Navy's 70 years of service and underscoring its role in safeguarding national and regional maritime integrity.
Matawalle emphasized the importance of maritime security to global trade, noting that approximately 90 percent of world trade by volume depends on sea routes. He described naval forces as essential to protecting international commerce, maintaining stability, and ensuring freedom of movement across critical sea lines. The symposium, themed "Leveraging Technology for Enhanced Maritime Security in Africa," aims to promote the use of emerging technologies such as unmanned systems, AI-driven surveillance, and data-sharing networks in maritime operations.
The minister highlighted the transnational nature of maritime threats, stating that no single nation can tackle them alone. He called for stronger collaboration among African navies and international partners to build a credible maritime defense framework. The event aligns with the Africa Integrated Maritime Strategy 2050, providing a platform to develop practical solutions to combat maritime crimes. Matawalle reaffirmed the Federal Government's commitment to the Nigerian Navy's modernisation and recapitalisation.
Chief of the Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Idi Abbas, spoke on the dual potential of advanced technologies, acknowledging their benefits for security while warning they could be exploited by non-state actors for criminal activities. He urged stakeholders to harness innovation responsibly within maritime domains.
Bello Muhammed Matawalle praised the Nigerian Navy's 70 years of service while calling for high-tech maritime solutions, yet offered no details on how the government plans to fund or implement such modernisation. The navy's ability to adopt AI-driven systems and unmanned surveillance depends on budgetary commitments not mentioned in his speech. Without confirmed funding, the push for technological advancement remains aspirational. The gap between vision and execution leaves regional security goals uncertain.
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