Mozambique and South Africa have (some would argue belatedly) forged an agreement to work together to fight piracy. This makes sense. The two countries have a vast coastline, and Mozambique’s nearly 2,500 kilometers of coast are particularly vulnerable to threats from, say, Somali pirates whose geographic range has expanded significantly in recent years.
Now get Madagascar into the mix and an Africa-based strategy begins to emerge. Soon after Tanzania and Kenya might be part of this coalition. Africa-based solutions to issues perceived as African problems are vital. But African-based solutions to problems that are perceived as being not just Africa’s (and trust me, the world does not care about Somali pirates because of African victims) represents an entirely different opportunity for African countries.