• SCOPE Africa launches in Lomé to boost port security and regional cooperation across West and Central Africa.

• EU-funded project targets standards, risk management, and training as port traffic grows 7% yearly amid rising threats.

• Ten key ports, incl. Lomé, Dakar & Lagos will get support to ease trade, secure corridors, and deepen integration.

A new phase of the "SCOPE Africa" project, a regional initiative to strengthen the security of strategic ports in West and Central Africa, started this week in Lomé. The project was launched at a two-day seminar that opened on Tuesday, led by Togo's High Council for the Sea (HCM). The HCM's chief of staff, Penn Laré, said securing maritime areas is beyond the capacity of any single country and that the project builds on more than a decade of programs that have improved regional cooperation.

SCOPE Africa aims to strengthen compliance with international standards, improve risk management, train port stakeholders with a focus on inclusion, and reinforce coordination and response mechanisms. Its launch comes as nearly 90% of trade to the continent moves by sea. Port traffic in the region is growing by an estimated 7% a year, and ports play a key role in moving goods, especially to landlocked countries. That growth also exposes port infrastructure to a range of risks, including industrial accidents, illicit trafficking, environmental pressures and threats linked to regional instability.

Funded by the European Union and implemented by Expertise France and Enabel, the project comes amid rising maritime trade and mounting security pressures. For Brussels, SCOPE Africa is an operational component of the EU's "Global Gateway" strategy, represented by Ambassador Gwilym Ceri Jones. Ten ports have been selected, including Lomé, Dakar, Abidjan, Lagos and Douala.

In the long term, the project aims to ease trade flows, strengthen strategic corridors and support regional economic integration. The Lomé meetings will seek to clarify the project's operational arrangements and assess the needs of the participating ports. The agenda also includes a visit to the Autonomous Port of Lomé, a significant hub in the Gulf of Guinea.

With Togofirst