Ghana seeksUNCLOS arbitration over Togo maritime border dispute
Ghana has formally notified Togo of its decision to resolve their maritime boundary dispute through international arbitration under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS). The move follows years of failed bilateral negotiations and incidents including Togo's 2017 seizure of Ghanaian seismic survey vessels in contested waters believed to hold significant offshore oil and gas reserves. Ghana's statement cites a desire to prevent escalation of tensions and promote amicable resolution while maintaining good relations. The disputed area lies off the southern coasts of both nations in the Gulf of Guinea. Previous attempts to establish a delimitation line through a Joint Maritime Boundary Technical Committee failed due to disagreements over methodology, baseline coordinates, and nautical charts. Ghana previously proposed a demarcation line in 2021 which Togo rejected. The UNCLOS arbitration process will now determine the maritime boundary between the two countries.