This 7^th edition, the theme focused on the blue economy was: «States and partners of the Gulf of Guinea, protect our maritime spaces for the development of the blue economy», and also allowed participants to discuss the evaluation and perspectives of the Yaoundé Architecture on its 10^th anniversary.

The EU was represented by Admiral Jürgen Ehle, Senior military advisor to the EEAS Managing Director for Peace, Security and Defence who gave a lecture on ’International Naval Deployments in the Gulf of Guinea: What Partnership Model?’ which served to highlight the EU engagement in the region, notably through the implementation of the EU Coordinated Maritime Presences (CMP) concept.

The CMP concept started its implementation in the Gulf of Guinea in January 2021 in support of the existing maritime security ‘Yaoundé Architecture’ in close cooperation with Coastal States. Its aim is to boost the collective engagement by enhancing coordination of the existing Member States assets present in the region to increase the EU’s capacity to act as a reliable partner and maritime security provider. CMP has proven to be a useful instrument contributing to the maritime security in the region ensuring a continued and coordinated EU presence.