SPECIAL REPORT: Ghana And Togo Face A Looming Maritime Boundary Conflict

Togo says the East Keta block is located in their territorial waters and has demanded Ghana to back off; stop all exploration activities in that area.

Already, the two countries have had series of meetings on the matter with no clear resolution to bring this to an end.

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Meetings were held in Accra in pursuit of a definite resolution on the looming conflict of maritime boundary between the two country over East Keta Block.

The session in Accra followed a meeting in Lomé on the same agenda at the end of the month of April. The two countries are lacing their boots to present a positive solution towards the demarcation of the Maritime boundary.

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The meeting in Accra permitted the teams from the two countries to speak to the the substance and the quintessence of the problems associated with the maritime boundary.

To this effect, a new meeting will be held in September (10th and 20th) aimed at bringing the matter to a closure. The technical team from the two countries will ensure the resolution conforms with international law of the seas.

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Due to the complicated nature of the conflict, there has never been a roadmap towards the demarcation of the maritime boundary. And Togo wishes that stakes in politics, security and socio-economic issues should be taken into account to speed up the process.

Note that Togo has always opposed any moves by Ghana to expand its portion of the Gulf of Guinea. Over the past years, the Togolese authorities has contested the recent petroleum exploration in the East Keta block by Ghana as they deem it necessary that the petroleum concession give is in Togolese territory.

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This September is expected to bring some solutions to the table. If the parties cannot agree on common grounds, the case will be brought before the international tribunal.

It would be recalled that a similar conflict ensued between Ghana and their Ivorian neighbors which ended up in the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea (ITLOS).

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In a unanimous ruling delivered on September 23, 2017, a Special Chamber of ITLOS fixed the course of the single maritime boundary between Ghana and Ivory Coast both within and beyond 200 nautical miles (NM) from their coastlines.

Source: AfricaCelebrities.com