Ghana USA Piracy WEB
Metadata
- Ghana USA Piracy WEB
- March 22, 2023
- Content Type Package
- Language English
- Transcript/Script English ((PLAYBOOK SLUG: GHANA USA PIRACY (TV/R) HEADLINE: US-West Africa Military Exercise Introduces Maritime Training TEASER: West African countries ask US to include sea training in Flintlock exercises in part to combat oil theft at sea PUBLISHED: BYLINE: Henry Wilkins DATELINE: SOGAKOPE, GHANA VIDEOGRAPHER: Henry Wilkins VIDEO EDITOR: Henry Wilkins PRODUCER: SCRIPT EDITORS: Reifenrath, Holly Franko VIDEO SOURCE (S): VOA, Zoom PLATFORMS (mark with X): WEB __ TV _X_ RADIO_X_ TRT: 3:17 VID APPROVED BY: Jepsen TYPE: TVPKG EDITOR NOTES:)) There is a radio piece to accompany this ((INTRO)) [[Flintlock, the United States-led annual joint military exercises in West Africa, is introducing maritime training for troops in the Gulf of Guinea. In this report from Sogakope, Ghana, reporter Henry Wilkins explores whether oil piracy is prompting the new training as he joins forces practicing a hostage rescue at sea.]] ((VIDEO-VOA: FLINTLOCK MARITIME TRAINING - various)) ((NARRATOR)) Troops from Ghana, Nigeria and Ivory Coast prepare to board a ship carrying actors playing the role of hostages. It is the first time in almost twenty years that the U.S.-run counterterrorism exercises known as Flintlock have included maritime training for West African troops. Some Flintlock participants questioned why a big focus of this year's exercise was on the southern parts of West Africa’s coastal states. The terror threat to those countries is coming from the north — from militants linked to al-Qaida and Islamic State in the Sahel and Boko Haram in northeast Nigeria. U.S. military organizers said the request for maritime training came from their African partners. [[For radio: Commander Anthony Dzakpasu is commander of the Ghanaian Special Boat Squadron, Ghana’s naval special forces. ]] ((Cmdr. Anthony Dzakpasu, Ghanaian Special Boat Squadron (in English, 26 secs))) "Ghana is straddled by rivers which run from the north to the south, meaning the Volta, Pra and Ankobra. These maritime channels are avenues for violent extremist organizations or terrorist groups to conduct activities connected to supply routes in the south and also could be avenues of escape and infiltration." ((VIDEO-VOA: FLINTLOCK MARITIME TRAINING - various)) ((NARRATOR)) West Africa’s Gulf of Guinea has made headlines in recent years as it appeared to replace waters off the Horn of Africa as the continent’s piracy hotspot. However, since 2021, piracy has all but disappeared in the gulf. The International Maritime Organization has delisted it as an area of concern. Analysts say the illicit activity having the most impact now is the theft of oil at sea. [[For radio: Alex Vines is Africa Program Director at Chatham House, a UK-based think tank.)) ((Alex Vines, Chatham House Africa Program Director (in English, 16 secs))) ((Zoom)) "It’s not attacking of ships in terms of stealing their cargo or kidnapping their crew. What we saw a spike of at the end of last year was the theft of oil. Oil theft is probably the single biggest worry for Nigeria at the moment." ((VIDEO-VOA: FLINTLOCK MARITIME TRAINING - various)) ((NARRATOR)) Nigeria is not alone. Ghana is also hoping to combat illicit activities at sea. ((For radio: Richard Mensah is a colonel in the Ghanaian Army)) ((Col. Richard Mensah, Ghanaian Army (in English, 28 secs))) "Ghana is drilling oil, so we have to ensure that we have eyes on it, making sure those areas are very protected or secured, because once it gets into the hands of unlawful people, it’s to the detriment of the whole country." ((VIDEO-VOA: FLINTLOCK MARITIME TRAINING - various)) ((NARRATOR)) Experts say petrol theft is a growing problem, even though statistics are lacking on its frequency. An investigation by the Nigerian senate last year found that between January and August of last year, the country lost more than two-billion-dollars in income to oil theft on land or at sea. Vines warns the decline in piracy may be short-lived. ((Alex Vines, Chatham House Africa Program Director (in English, 21 secs))) ((Zoom)) "The bad news is, I do think this is cyclical, and so a combination of very high oil prices, exacerbated further by the Russian invasion of Ukraine. I suspect that the pirates have actually become oil thieves for the time being and may return to some of their pirate-like activities if the oil price really reduces." ((VIDEO-VOA: FLINTLOCK MARITIME TRAINING - various)) ((NARRATOR)) Experts say that protecting economies and therefore the stability and prosperity of West African countries plays a part in combatting terrorist group recruitment. Maritime training on the south coast, might, therefore, negatively impact al-Qaida, Islamic State and Boko Haram. ((Henry Wilkins, for VOA News, Sogakope, Ghana))
- Transcript/Script ((PLAYBOOK SLUG: GHANA USA PIRACY (TV/R) HEADLINE: US-West Africa Military Exercise Introduces Maritime Training TEASER: West African countries ask US to include sea training in Flintlock exercises in part to combat oil theft at sea PUBLISHED: BYLINE: Henry Wilkins DATELINE: SOGAKOPE, GHANA VIDEOGRAPHER: Henry Wilkins VIDEO EDITOR: Henry Wilkins PRODUCER: SCRIPT EDITORS: Reifenrath, Holly Franko VIDEO SOURCE (S): VOA, Zoom PLATFORMS (mark with X): WEB __ TV _X_ RADIO_X_ TRT: 3:17 VID APPROVED BY: Jepsen TYPE: TVPKG EDITOR NOTES:)) There is a radio piece to accompany this ((INTRO)) [[Flintlock, the United States-led annual joint military exercises in West Africa, is introducing maritime training for troops in the Gulf of Guinea. In this report from Sogakope, Ghana, reporter Henry Wilkins explores whether oil piracy is prompting the new training as he joins forces practicing a hostage rescue at sea.]] ((VIDEO-VOA: FLINTLOCK MARITIME TRAINING - various)) ((NARRATOR)) Troops from Ghana, Nigeria and Ivory Coast prepare to board a ship carrying actors playing the role of hostages. It is the first time in almost twenty years that the U.S.-run counterterrorism exercises known as Flintlock have included maritime training for West African troops. Some Flintlock participants questioned why a big focus of this year's exercise was on the southern parts of West Africa’s coastal states. The terror threat to those countries is coming from the north — from militants linked to al-Qaida and Islamic State in the Sahel and Boko Haram in northeast Nigeria. U.S. military organizers said the request for maritime training came from their African partners. [[For radio: Commander Anthony Dzakpasu is commander of the Ghanaian Special Boat Squadron, Ghana’s naval special forces. ]] ((Cmdr. Anthony Dzakpasu, Ghanaian Special Boat Squadron (in English, 26 secs))) "Ghana is straddled by rivers which run from the north to the south, meaning the Volta, Pra and Ankobra. These maritime channels are avenues for violent extremist organizations or terrorist groups to conduct activities connected to supply routes in the south and also could be avenues of escape and infiltration." ((VIDEO-VOA: FLINTLOCK MARITIME TRAINING - various)) ((NARRATOR)) West Africa’s Gulf of Guinea has made headlines in recent years as it appeared to replace waters off the Horn of Africa as the continent’s piracy hotspot. However, since 2021, piracy has all but disappeared in the gulf. The International Maritime Organization has delisted it as an area of concern. Analysts say the illicit activity having the most impact now is the theft of oil at sea. [[For radio: Alex Vines is Africa Program Director at Chatham House, a UK-based think tank.)) ((Alex Vines, Chatham House Africa Program Director (in English, 16 secs))) ((Zoom)) "It’s not attacking of ships in terms of stealing their cargo or kidnapping their crew. What we saw a spike of at the end of last year was the theft of oil. Oil theft is probably the single biggest worry for Nigeria at the moment." ((VIDEO-VOA: FLINTLOCK MARITIME TRAINING - various)) ((NARRATOR)) Nigeria is not alone. Ghana is also hoping to combat illicit activities at sea. ((For radio: Richard Mensah is a colonel in the Ghanaian Army)) ((Col. Richard Mensah, Ghanaian Army (in English, 28 secs))) "Ghana is drilling oil, so we have to ensure that we have eyes on it, making sure those areas are very protected or secured, because once it gets into the hands of unlawful people, it’s to the detriment of the whole country." ((VIDEO-VOA: FLINTLOCK MARITIME TRAINING - various)) ((NARRATOR)) Experts say petrol theft is a growing problem, even though statistics are lacking on its frequency. An investigation by the Nigerian senate last year found that between January and August of last year, the country lost more than two-billion-dollars in income to oil theft on land or at sea. Vines warns the decline in piracy may be short-lived. ((Alex Vines, Chatham House Africa Program Director (in English, 21 secs))) ((Zoom)) "The bad news is, I do think this is cyclical, and so a combination of very high oil prices, exacerbated further by the Russian invasion of Ukraine. I suspect that the pirates have actually become oil thieves for the time being and may return to some of their pirate-like activities if the oil price really reduces." ((VIDEO-VOA: FLINTLOCK MARITIME TRAINING - various)) ((NARRATOR)) Experts say that protecting economies and therefore the stability and prosperity of West African countries plays a part in combatting terrorist group recruitment. Maritime training on the south coast, might, therefore, negatively impact al-Qaida, Islamic State and Boko Haram. ((Henry Wilkins, for VOA News, Sogakope, Ghana))
- NewsML Media Topics Arts, Culture, Entertainment and Media
- Network VOA
- Embargo Date March 22, 2023 08:14 EDT
- Byline Henry Wilkins
- Brand / Language Service Voice of America