Ghana and Togo are close to signing a Maritime Boundary Delimitation Agreement which will bring to an end the dispute over the boundary of the two countries in the ocean.
The Ghana Boundary Commission is currently meeting a delegation from Togo in Accra to settle on dates for the signing of the agreement by the Presidents of both countries.
Currently, fishing and other economic activities are prohibited in the transboundary or disputed area.
The National Coordinator for the Ghana Boundary Commission, Major General Emmanuel Kotia says once the agreement is signed, it will unlock economic opportunities in that part of the ocean for investors eagerly awaiting an amicable settlement.
“We have been able to solve a maritime barrier through negotiation and mediation so going to the International Tribunal of the Law of the Sea is unlike what happened between Ghana and Cote d’Ivoire.”
Ghana and Togo have been engaged in negotiations over their maritime boundary since 2018.
Meanwhile, the Ghana Boundary Commission Bill is currently under parliamentary consideration.
According to Major General Kotia, once the bill is passed, it will help the Commission in addition to its duties of resolving external boundary disputes, to also play a pivotal role in resolving internal boundary and electoral boundary disagreements.
Speaking at an annual retreat of the Commission in the Eastern Region, he expressed optimism that this expansion of responsibilities would mark a major success story for the Commission.
“This is a major development so far as the bill is concerned. The new area that we may be seeing ourselves performing is to help resolve internal boundary disputes, including electoral boundaries where they are deferred to us or where we have problems so far as internal boundaries are concerned.
“We are not going to be responsible for demarcating internal boundaries, but just to assist in amicably resolving this dispute through negotiation and mediation. It is going to enhance the tasks of the Boundary Commission,” Major General Kotia said.