Paper short abstract:

The paper assesses African agency in responding to West Africa’s maritime insecurity through the coordination of interconnected multilevel initiatives and towards the creation of an independent (yet interdependent on non-African actors) peace and security architecture in the Gulf of Guinea region.

Paper long abstract:

Over the years, concerns over the maritime security in West Africa have increased, making of the Gulf of Guinea one of the most insecure maritime spot, regionally and globally. Indeed, because of globalization dynamics, local security threats have assumed a transnational aspect, requiring multilateral joint interventions and multilevel mechanisms of approaching them, in order to maintain stability and security. Although the African continent has witnessed a long history of external actors' presence and engagement over its own security and peace, as well as development, the extent of the growing African agency in overcoming such dependence and submission needs to be explored. By adopting an interdisciplinary approach that combines International Relations and Security Studies with African Studies, this paper aims to assess autonomous African responses to growing security threats in West Africa through the coordination of regional and international initiatives towards the creation of its peace and security architecture in the Gulf of Guinea. Furthermore, through the analytical lenses of the security-development nexus and securitization dynamics imposed by external powers, this paper analyses the changing role and perceptions of Africa in the new millennium, both within the continent itself and internationally. It also addresses recent African efforts towards a security regionalization that can be conducive to further mechanisms of regional and global security.