Liberia’s ministry of national defense has expressed a commitment to safeguarding the country’s territorial waters.
By Blue Africa News
Liberia and the United States of America (USA) have signed a landmark maritime ShipRider agreement to enhance the operational capacity of the West African nation’s Coast Guard and strengthen the country’s maritime defense architecture, Coast Guard officials said.
Under the agreement, Liberia and USA authorities will conduct joint maritime enforcement operations targeting illegal fishing and illicit trafficking within Liberia’s territorial waters, and the Gulf of Guinea, which stretches from the north eastern part of the tropical Atlantic Ocean in Gabon, to Cape Palmas in Liberia.
Lieutenant Georgian Kansuah, acting Commander of the Liberian Coast Guard speaking during the signing ceremony at Bushrod Island Coast Guard Base recently, said the agreement is a reflection of the strong bilateral partnership between Liberia and the United States, in addressing evolving maritime security threats.
Liberia’s Ministry of National Defense, he noted, remains committed to safeguarding the country’s territorial waters against illegal fishing, narcotics trafficking, piracy, and human smuggling, which continue to threaten national security and economic prosperity.
“The agreement,” he said, provides a vital framework for enhanced intelligence sharing, coordinated maritime operations and joint law enforcement activities aimed at ensuring that Liberia’s waters remain secure for lawful trade and economic activities.
“It demonstrates the ministry’s determination to modernise the Liberian Coast Guard and improve national defense readiness through international partnerships.”
Joseph Zadrozny, head of the diplomatic mission representing the USA during the event hailed the professionalism and progress of the Liberian Coast Guard, under the leadership of the Ministry of National Defense.
According to Zadrozny, the ShipRider program has proven globally effective in combating transnational maritime crimes and strengthening maritime governance.
“The partnership will provide increased specialised training opportunities and operational support for personnel of the Armed Forces of Liberia, particularly the Coast Guard component,” he said.
Deliberations leading to signing of the agreement began in 2024, with the new partnership now expected to protect Liberia’s marine resources from unauthorized foreign exploitation, in turn supporting local fishing communities, increasing economic opportunities and creating jobs.
According to USA’s Foreign Policy Research Institute (FPRI), Shiprider agreements allow larger maritime countries to partner with smaller maritime countries so as to enforce maritime laws, combat illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing, enhance security, and reinforce sovereignty.
With a coastline stretching between 565 km to 579 km along the North Atlantic Ocean in West Africa, Liberia is battling IUU, regional piracy and transnational smuggling, which pose the greatest challenge to the country’s maritime security, experts touting multinational cooperation such as the one with USA and regulatory enforcement as answers to the challenges.
The Africa Defense Forum (ADF) records that Africa loses an estimated $11.2 billion in annual revenue to (IUU) fishing, with the challenge particularly acute in West Africa, which loses up to $9.4 billion, with Liberia alone losing $75 million annually to illegal fishing.
“You have these big trawlers, some of them have nets that are a mile long, and they are dragging these sea beds, even damaging the coral reefs so badly that in Liberia you started having coral reefs washed ashore,” Roland Bai Murphy, commander of the 23rd Infantry Brigade of the Armed Forces of Liberia said during the African Land Forces Summit in Accra, Ghana, in April 2025.
Besides international cooperations aimed at maritime protection, some African countries like Kenya are taking international measures to safeguard their waters.
In January, 2026, the Kenyan government embarked on a path to strengthen the Kenya Coast Guard Service (KCGS), aimed at enhancing patrol and protection of the country’s international waters across Lake Victoria, Lake Turkana, and the Indian Ocean.
Cabinet Secretary for interior and national coordination Kipchumba Murkomen said that a strong coast guard service is critical in safeguarding livelihoods while countering the smuggling of goods, including narcotics.
Oliver Ochieng, Blue Africa News