UNODC kicks off training on port security for the first time in the Port of Lobito, Angola

Lobito, 18 November 2022 – Due to its strategic position on the Atlantic coast, about 30 km to the north of the city of Benguela, the Port of Lobito is the Angola’s second busiest port, handling approximately 2 million tons of cargos per year, and one of the most important gateways to both Atlantic shipping lines and internal commercial routes within the African continent.

Today, the Port is the coastal terminal of the Benguela Railway, forming the so-called Lobito corridor, connecting the coast to the inland for 1,300 km, and is the fastest route to key mining regions, such as those in Zambia and the Democratic Republic of Congo. 

During November 2022, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) Global Maritime Crime Programme (GMCP) conducted a 14-day extensive training and exercise programme at the Port, with 71 participants including officials from the Lobito Port Security, the National Police Force, the National Civil Protection and Fire Service, the Maritime and Port Institution of Angola (IMPA) together with representatives from Angola’s Ministry of External Relations. This marked the first initiative that an international organization has worked with local authorities and law enforcement officials, supporting capacity building in the Port of Lobito. This training will be followed by a two-week training block in Luanda, which will be officially closed with an end of training debrief and inter-agency workshop on 14 December 2022.

“We have had two weeks of training where we found out how we can, and we will, create and develop our own inter-agency procedures for cooperation, and how we as port stakeholders should improve existing SOPs [Standard Operating Procedures]” said Ms. Beatriz Dos Santos, chief of section for the Immigration Agency in the Lobito Municipality.

The training was carried out as part of UNODC’s Strategic Vision for Africa 2030, under investment area 3 ‘Protecting Africa’s Resources and Livelihoods’, contributing to the Sustainable Management and Protection of Marine and Coastal Ecosystems (SDG 14). 

The training is part of the  EU-funded Port Security and Safety of Navigation Programme for Eastern and Southern Africa and the Indian Ocean, a regional programme under the coordination of the Indian Ocean Commission and jointly implemented with IMO and INTERPOL.

In line with the 2050 African Integrated Maritime Strategy (AIMS 2050) of the African Union and the SADC Regional Indicative Strategic Development Plan 2020-2030, the EU Port Security Programme targets maritime security and safety and support interconnectivity in the region by addressing both maritime challenges and opportunities for coastal countries in Africa.

For more information, see the link below: Global Maritime Crime Programme (unodc.org)