Maritime law enforcement officers working on boat maintenance in Pemba, northern Mozambique. © UNODC
Pemba (Mozambique), February 2025 – Nearly six months after the last boarding officer qualification training course conducted by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC)'s Global Maritime Crime Programme, another session took place in February 2025 in Cabo Delgado, the northernmost province in Mozambique.
This iteration of the training has provided deeper insight into the realities faced by Mozambique’s maritime law enforcement officers.
While the skills imparted are invaluable, the broader challenge remains ensuring that these learnings are effectively applied in a context where resources and operational capabilities are being progressively strengthened.
An operative investigator of the National Criminal Investigation Service of Mozambique expressed both enthusiasm and hope about the training’s impact:
“The challenges are enormous on our side, [in] Mozambique. Although the training is going very well, after the training is over, we will have great challenges because we have no way to practice the teachings and techniques of the training to aspire to success when we take action.”
This sentiment highlights a key issue in capacity-building efforts: while theoretical knowledge and technical training provide essential foundations, their long-term success depends on practical reinforcement in real operational settings.
Recognizing this, UNODC has taken concrete steps to ensure that training efforts translate into sustainable operational improvements. Beyond training, significant investments are being made to enhance Mozambique’s maritime law enforcement capacity.
Under its Japan-funded counterterrorism, UNODC is establishing a Joint Maritime Operations Center in Pemba, which will serve as a strategic hub for coordination and operational planning. Additionally, the programme has procured essential maintenance kits to ensure the longevity of maritime assets.
Japan’s support has further bolstered Mozambique’s maritime security by donating boats and spare parts, enabling law enforcement officers to put their training into action.
These resources will provide maritime authorities with the operational tools needed to better respond to criminal activities at sea, ensuring that officers trained under the boarding officer qualification training course can implement their new skills effectively.
Furthermore, one of the critical aspects of ensuring long-term operational efficiency is proper maintenance training.
As part of the broader project, efforts are underway to integrate hands-on maintenance sessions to equip officers with the necessary skills to keep the newly acquired boats and equipment operational over the long term.
This will ensure that the investments in maritime security translate into sustained enforcement capacity in Mozambique.
For many participants, the goal is not just to gain individual expertise but to see systemic improvements within Mozambique’s law enforcement structures. The criminal investigator expressed a clear vision for what is needed next:
“The greatest expectation is to see the entire Ministry equipped and to have exactly all the material to be able to make good use of the training we are having with the appropriate means. I believe that only in this way will we be able to overcome the challenges and difficulties.”
This statement underscores a key policy challenge: sustainability. Training initiatives like the boarding officer qualification training course are invaluable, and their impact can only be fully realized if they are complemented by investments in infrastructure, equipment, and long-term strategic support.
Beyond technical skills, an official from the Mozambican Maritime Authority explains that this session also allowed participants to better understand the importance of their role in an unstable political and economic context:
“With this training, it once again opens our minds to the need to intervene on the Mozambique coast, considering the current political and economic crisis, to enable a firmer and tougher approach.”
Some participants even felt a shift in their professional mindset, stating that after this training, they now see themselves as approach officers.
This boarding officer qualification training course in Pemba reinforced the importance of equipping Mozambique’s maritime forces with the right skills, knowledge, and operational capacity, part of concrete steps are being taken to ensure that training efforts translate into lasting capabilities.
This initiative is aligned with the UNODC Strategic Vision for Africa 2030, which promotes sustainable development and the protection of Africa's natural resources and also securing the safety of African people from organized crime, terrorism and violence and contributes to the attainment of United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 16 (Peace, Justice, and Strong Institutions).
These activities are implemented as part of the project "Enhancement of Counter-terrorism Capacity in Cabo Delgado Province," generously funded by the Government of Japan.
For more information, please contact:
Mr. Mostafa Elbanna (mostafa.elbanna@un.org)
Western Indian Ocean Programme Coordinator – Officer in Charge
Global Maritime Crime Programme
United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime Click here to visit the UNODC Global Maritime Crime Programme website
