After eight years of talks, Ghana triggers UNCLOS arbitration over maritime dispute with Togo
Ghana has formally notified Togo of its decision to seek international arbitration under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) to delimit the maritime boundary between the two countries, after negotiations failed to produce an agreement over the past eight years.
In a notice served on the Government of Togo, Ghana said it wants the boundary settled through UNCLOS arbitration, which would be a shift away from bilateral talks that have remained inconclusive despite sustained engagement.
Ghana said the move is intended to prevent a further escalation of incidents that have generated tensions between some institutions in both countries, while promoting an amicable, rules-based outcome that preserves the longstanding relations between Accra and Lomé.
“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,” a statement from the government of Ghana read in part.
Ghana is effectively asking an independent tribunal constituted under UNCLOS to determine where the maritime boundary should lie, a process typically aimed at producing a binding outcome when parties cannot reach a negotiated settlement.
In 2014, Ghana initiated proceedings against neighbouring Côte d’Ivoire after disagreements over their offshore boundary in the Gulf of Guinea, disputes that intensified following major oil discoveries in the area. That case was heard by a Special Chamber of the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea (ITLOS), acting under UNCLOS. The tribunal issued a binding decision in September 2017 that largely upheld Ghana’s position and delimited the maritime boundary along an equidistance line.
This story is written and edited by the Global South World team, you can contact us here.
