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2019-01-01

Innovations for Border Security and Control at SHIELDAFRICA 2019

After a successful 2017 show, SHIELDAFRICA 2019 carries the theme: "Secured and Controlled Land, Sea and Air Borders, Conditions for the Development of Africa". Taking place at l’Ecole de Police d’Abidjan (Ivory Coast) from 22nd-24th January 2019, the fifth edition of the International Security and Defence Exhibition will address key issues of border security.

SHIELDAFRICA is organised by the Ivorian company COGES Africa, under the patronage of the Ministry of the Interior and Ministry of Security and Defence of the Côte d'Ivoire. Nonetheless, it is certainly the case that all the African countries will be represented by a large number of official delegations, most of them at ministry level.

SHIELDAFRICA is the African Security and Defence event of reference, offering land-sea-air solutions to secure Africa's development, while restoring or maintaining peace, combatting or preventing natural and industrial disasters and ensuring the safety of cities to develop the necessary services for public institutions and private bodies. Public and private sector security and defence actors across Africa meet industry from all over the world at the show, offering equipment, services, and innovative solutions tailored to their needs.

Border Sovereignty and Economic Wealth

A strong Africa in a globalised world requires safe, open borders managed by proven equipment and new technologies to ensure national borders continue to enable dynamic mobility of people and transit of goods over land, sea, and air. SHIELDAFRICA’s fifth edition will illustrate how border security and control requires modern, efficient African customs administration and regional cooperation structures between countries to address issues of national and international security.

In recognising the multiple security needs of Africa in the context of this special border focus, Stéphane Konan, Exhibition Commissioner General, emphasises that “The main problem of borders in Africa is their extent: 89,000 km of land borders to be monitored. Therefore, of course, this monitoring is one of the tools of the fight against terrorism and many states cooperate on their common borders. But it should also be noted that well-managed borders are an economic resource for riparian countries.”

Konan adds that, “SHIELDAFRICA enables many African policymakers, government officials and security and defence forces to meet industry leaders who offer tools not only for the sovereign control of borders, but also for their economic valorisation: identity of people and traceability of goods. The Ivorian authorities have officially invited interior ministers and defence ministers from more than 50 countries in Africa, some represented by their police directors or their chiefs of staff. There will also be private security officials of all sensitive points: ports, airports, etc. We expect about 60 official delegations and at least 3,000 trade visitors. We have also invited representatives of all the international organisations present in Abidjan and in Africa such as UNOCI, ADB, World Bank, IMF, FAO, European Union, ICRC, etc.”

Africa’s Growing Security Challenges

The SHIELDAFRICA salon was created in 2013 to respond to the need for periodic high-level meetings devoted to Africa's defence and security challenges where, after several years of crisis, the Ivory Coast returned with strong growth requiring a level of security and stability also demanded by many other African countries. Now a modern city in full development, with an international airport, large port and high-level hotels, Abidjan is ideal for an event like SHIELDAFRICA and, after a third edition in Libreville (Gabon), the event has returned to the Ivory Coast with the aim of reflecting on new developments in Security and Defence that will sustain the development of the African continent.

The success of the 2013-2017 shows has given SHIELDAFRICA a reputation exceeding Africa’s borders to become a reference show for security and a real meeting platform for security and defence professionals in Africa. Above all an African fair, SHIELDAFRICA highlights the continent’s incredible development potential, bringing together solutions from all over the world to the states making up the continent, enabling them to monitor trends and innovations in the sector and select the equipment or services best suited to their needs.

Overview of 2019 Event

The calendar of trade shows around the world is very busy, with Africa already boasting the AAD show in Pretoria and the EDEX show in Egypt. Hence, like all major security and defence fairs, SHIELDAFRICA became biennial in 2017, as the new rhythm enables better integration of this trade show into the general calendar of exhibitions.

SHIELDAFRICA is the only international defence exhibition and conference in the West African region, demonstrating the latest technology across land, sea, and air sectors of defence. While Abidjan has become more and more an economic hub of Africa, generating business for the entire sub-region, cybersecurity and cyber defence have also become integral components of SHIELDAFRICA.

Amongst the many exhibitors present in the 2019 edition will be Airbus, Atos, Rafael, Tracip, Q-Cyber, Verint and Thales. SHIELDAFRICA 2019 promises again to be an unique platform to both establish and strengthen relationships with government departments, businesses and armed forces throughout the region.

The 2019 show follows the 2017 edition in presenting two events, the first sponsored by Minister of State Defence, Hamed Bakayoko. On Monday 21st January, a Plenary Conference dedicated to borders will be held in the Sofitel Ivoire on the eve of the Fair, bringing together major African leaders around the theme, "Land Borders, Maritime and Air, Living and Regulated, Conditions of Development of Africa", where the delegations invited will informally meet the various exhibitors present.

From 22nd-24th January 2019, the main defence and security exhibition will be organised in the Côte d'Ivoire’s Police Academy facilities, including further exhibitor conferences. As with previous editions, African security and defence forces will present live demonstrations all through the fair through operational staging.

In 2017, SHIELDAFRICA brought together 133 exhibitors from 25 different countries and more than 3,200 professional visitors, including 595 members of the African Security Forces and Armed Forces. The 2019 edition will welcome 25 different countries, including South Africa and Bulgaria - countries attending for the first time - while each of the world’s continents is represented by the U.S., Australia, China, Kazakhstan, Turkey and Belgium, amongst other countries.

Although there will be slightly fewer French exhibitors compared to previous editions, the proportion of foreign exhibitors is predicted to be up to 55 per cent in 2019, a 20 per cent rise on 2017. More than 130 exhibitors are expected to attend and, as the SHIELDAFRICA 2019 website notes, "Land, sea and air borders are not sealed barriers. They must be dynamic areas of exchange, permitting movement of people and goods. These activities must respect states’ sovereignty, while implementing controls on goods and people in accordance with applicable laws. Cross-border regulation is a major issue in national and international security. In Africa, it requires modern, efficient customs administrations and dynamic regional structures for cooperation between African nations."

SHIELDAFRICA 2019 will see exhibitor ATERMES present its turnkey solution for border or sensitive sites surveillance. A revolutionary system, BARIER is designed to be deployed quickly by a small team and allows for continuous night-and-day surveillance missions on every terrain, carrying out permanent or temporary missions to control borders, camp, bivouac, sensitive sites and convoy itinerary with monitoring up to 40km at a glance.

Each BARIER system is composed of 4-10 autonomous, robotised and connected sentry-beacons, optronic or radar headed, as well as 1-2 dispenser vehicles, and one Command and Control vehicle. For example, the BARIER Land Configuration Type is a new concept where the whole system is loaded on a single ISO platform and can be so installed on any carrier vehicle.

The Risk&Co Group’s participation in the 2019 exhibition reflects several decades of operations and two wholly-owned local subsidiaries (in Nigeria and South Africa). With this solid experience of the African market, the Risk&Co Group provides support to many French and European companies on the continent and will be represented at SHIELDAFRICA 2019 by Christian Joffre, Head of Geomines, the Group’s dedicated mine clearance business unit and Eléonore Forget, Director of International Development and Marketing.

The 2019 SHIELDAFRICA exhibition will allow the Group to deepen its connections further with the continent’s security forces. Risk&Co’s African partners will indeed be given the opportunity to observe the performance of the OSB 17, the tactical multi-mission UAV specifically developed by the Risk&Co Group and dedicated to intelligence missions.

SHIELDAFRICA 2019 will also present delegates with an opportunity to highlight Geomines’ significant expertise in carrying out pyrotechnic site remediation operations, supporting companies and states alike. Geomines’ skilled approach to ammunition stockpile management and destruction will also be showcased in recognition that such services offer strong guarantees for the protection of civilian populations.

Reference Photo/Text:www.shieldafrica.com

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