Nigeria’s CNS Gambo To Lead Speakers At International Symposium On Africa’s Blue Economy In South Africa

By Frank Oshanugor

Nigeria’s Chief of Naval Staff (CNS), Vice Admiral Awwal Zubairu Gambo, has been selected as the Lead Speaker at an international symposium coming up in South Africa in May 2023. The event is aimed at boosting Blue Economy and Security in Africa.

The two-day symposium is organized by the Security Watch Africa Initiatives (SWAI) and the Centre for Military Studies (CEMIS) at Stellenbosch University, South Africa.

The theme of the symposium fixed for 4th and 5th of May, 2023, is ‘BLUE OCEAN ECONOMY AND SECURITY IN AFRICA: CHALLENGES AND PROSPECTS FOR AGENDA 2063’

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, in ensuring security on the continent’s ocean waters.

According to the President/Chief Executive Officer of Security Watch Africa, Mr. Patrick Agbambu in a statement on Thursday, the symposium is aimed at articulating practical mechanism 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 of the Nigerian Navy.

The discussions are also aimed at exploring how African Navies have experienced the unlocking of the Blue Economies in Africa.

It will further assist to foster inter-naval co-operations and relationships between ECOWAS and Southern Africa Development Community (SADC) Navies.

The symposium is providing an important opportunity for the Chiefs of Navies to frame the agenda for Naval participation in their respective Blue water economies even as it will allow each Navy to provide a keynote address regarding their experiences in defending the blue water economy.

There will also be syndicate discussions, and a feedback session to allow each syndicate to report their findings. The conference will close with a consolidated report of these findings.

Among those expected to attend the symposium include parliamentarians, Ministry/secretary of Defence personnel, Practitioners in the maritime space, Academics, Defence Industry representatives.

Also expected at the symposium are Students of the Military Academy while a limited number of seats will be opened for the public to apply to attend.

The call for delegates will close on 20th April 2023 for foreign delegates and 28 April 2023 for African delegates. Interested delegates have been advised to register through this link: