The Republic of Ghana has formally initiated international arbitration proceedings against the Republic of Togo to resolve a long-running dispute over their mutual maritime boundary.
The decision, which follows eight years of deadlocked bilateral negotiations, was announced in a statement on Friday by the Spokesperson for the President and Minister for Government Communications, Felix Kwakye Ofosu.
Ghana has served Togo with a formal notice to delimit the contested boundary under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, the statement noted.
The Presidency explained that the move became necessary to prevent an escalation of tensions between state institutions of both West African neighbours.
The statement read in part, “The Government of Ghana has served the Government of Togo with notice of its decision that the maritime boundary between Ghana and Togo be delimited by recourse to international arbitration under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).
“Ghana has taken this step in order to avoid an escalation of incidents that have created tensions between some of our institutions and to promote an amicable resolution, thereby contributing to the continued good relations between our two countries.”
Although the specific “incidents” were not detailed, the dispute reportedly intensified following oil discoveries in the Gulf of Guinea, with both nations asserting overlapping claims to resource-rich offshore territories.
The Ghanaian government stressed that while it had opted for arbitration, it remained committed to maintaining the longstanding diplomatic ties between Accra and Lomé.
The current legal action mirrors Ghana’s 2014 decision to drag Côte d’Ivoire before the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea. That dispute was eventually settled in 2017 in a landmark ruling that favoured Ghana’s maritime claims.
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