Former Commissioner General of the Ghana Boundary Commission (GhBC), Major General Emmanuel Wekem Kotia has provided detailed commentary on Ghana’s decision to escalate its maritime boundary dispute with Togo to international arbitration.

His remarks come after the Ghanaian government formally informed the Togolese authorities of its intention to seek adjudication under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).

The Minister for Government Communications, Felix Kwakye Ofosu, confirmed that Ghana will pursue the delimitation of the offshore boundary under the provisions of UNCLOS, the global legal framework governing the use of the world’s oceans.

• READ ALSO: Ghana moves to international arbitration over maritime boundary with Togo

Speaking on Joy FM’s Midday News on Friday, Dr Kotia recounted the protracted history of the dispute, noting that efforts by the joint technical committee—a mirror group of Ghanaian and Togolese representatives—had failed to resolve the matter over several years.

“Over the years, the joint technical team have been meeting and they have not been able to resolve it, and the issue was escalated to the level of the two presidents,” he explained.

The dispute escalated in 2016 when Togo refused to recognise the international boundary line with Ghana. In 2017, the presidents of both countries met and agreed that, due to the close bilateral relationship, the matter should be resolved amicably.

As a result, a mirrored joint technical committee was established to negotiate a solution. However, the talks eventually reached a stalemate, prompting the matter to be referred back to the heads of state for further consideration.

Dr Kotia highlighted the strategic importance of the Keta Basin, an area believed to contain substantial untapped natural resources. While part of the basin falls within the disputed area, Ghana has refrained from exploration activities in order to respect ongoing negotiations.

“It is very significant because the Keta Basin, which is yet to be explored and is suspected to have natural resource deposits, is along that lane. Even though part of the disputed area has not affected the entire Keta Basin, because of the negotiations that were ongoing, Ghana decided on its own that there would be no exploration until the dispute is resolved,” he said.

Regarding the arbitration process, Dr Kotia emphasised that both parties must agree on the procedure before the matter proceeds.

He referenced the successful resolution of Ghana’s previous maritime dispute with Côte d’Ivoire as a model for efficiency and fairness.

“Once both sides agree on the process, then whatever the issue will be taken—whether it will be handled by the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea, like what happened between Ghana and Côte d’Ivoire—it is in that direction that it will happen,” he said.

Dr Kotia added: “With international arbitration, normally it is handled very fast, and we saw what happened with Ghana and Côte d’Ivoire. The matter was resolved very well.”