Identifying emerging threats to maritime security is key in developing the right tools to ensure sound maritime security governance.

To address this, thirty participants from multiple Kenyan Government Ministries and Agencies with responsibility for maritime security policy and operational implementation are taking part in a five-day IMO-sponsored workshop (9-13 May). They will assist the Kenyan Government in the development of its National Maritime Security Risk Register.

The finalized National Maritime Security Risk Register will assess the threat, impact, and vulnerability criteria of all security threats to Kenyan national maritime security interests. This will enable the National Maritime Security Committee to formulate and coordinate new work programmes to mitigate these risks. It will also drive the development of the strategic objectives in the Kenyan National Maritime Security Strategy, which will set out Kenya’s vision for how it will safeguard its maritime domain for the next twenty years. Securing and safeguarding the growth of the country’s blue economy is critical for development and economic growth. This forum followed an earlier workshop on the Development of the National Maritime Security Strategy (7 to 8 March 2022), which shared good practice on the establishment of an effective National Maritime Security Committee structure and the development of a National Maritime Security Strategy.

This multi-agency workshop is an excellent example of the whole of government approach to maritime security. The workshop is part of the EU-funded project on Port Security and Safety of Navigation in Eastern and Southern Africa and The Indian Ocean, which IMO is delivering with implementing partners Interpol and UNODC.