From 7-9 June 2023, AIRCOP held its West and Central Africa Annual focal points meeting in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire bringing together 13 focal points from partner countries. Over these three days, participants addressed strategic and operational challenges associated with combating transnational organised crime via air.
The meeting highlighted the current state of play and new threats faced by the AIRCOP Joint Airports Interdiction Task Forces (JAITFs) in the region. Participants shared common challenges, experiences and best practices, fostering collaboration and innovation to strengthen the fight against transnational organised crime.
In her opening remarks, European Commission representative Olivia Gervasoni emphasised that “Controls at Airports are not only important from the point of view of interdiction but also to increase data, develop knowledge, techniques and tactics and better understanding of organized crime. To that aim, the training courses for JAITFs offered by AIRCOP are designed to anticipate and prevent a wide range of illicit flows and criminal activities at airports by focusing in particular on the convergence between commodities, enabling environment and actors, hence offering complementary responses at national, regional, transregional levels.”
The meeting concluded with the adoption of over 20 recommendations aimed at enhancing the working environment, improving operational capacities, and boosting interdiction efficiency in partner countries in the region.
The event reflects the shared commitment of AIRCOP and the partner countries in the region to continue working on promoting security and stability in West and Central Africa.
