Geopolitics of the Gulf of Guinea: Historical Context and Nigeria’s Maritime Security Strategy

This study examines the historical development of the geopolitics of the Gulf of Guinea and Nigeria's evolving maritime security strategy in one of the world's most strategically significant and piracy-prone maritime zones. The Gulf of Guinea accounts for a large share of global oil tanker traffic and hosts substantial offshore oil and gas production, making maritime security a critical economic and diplomatic priority for Nigeria and the wider West and Central African sub-region. Using a professional historical and policy analysis design, the study reviews Nigerian Navy operational frameworks, the ECOWAS Integrated Maritime Strategy, the Yaounde Code of Conduct documents, and United Nations reports on Gulf of Guinea piracy from 2020 to 2024. The Maritime Security Theory and the Geopolitics of Energy Framework provide the analytical lenses. Findings reveal that Gulf of Guinea piracy, predominantly driven by Nigerian criminal networks operating from the Niger Delta, has evolved from opportunistic vessel hijackings toward increasingly sophisticated kidnap-for-ransom operations. Nigeria's maritime security response through the Deep Blue Project, launched in 2021, represents a significant capability improvement but is constrained by jurisdictional gaps in exclusive economic zone enforcement capacity. Recommendations include stronger bilateral maritime law enforcement agreements with Gulf of Guinea neighbours. Keywords: Gulf of Guinea, maritime security, piracy, Nigeria, geopolitics.