Minister for National Security, Albert Kan-Dapaah, has charged the Ghana Boundary Commission to initiate the establishment of a Joint Ghana-Togo Land Technical Committee to resolve all existing land boundary issues between the two West African States.
The Ghana Boundary Commission in April 2021, begun an audit of the country’s land boundary with Togo to help avert any major land dispute between the two countries. The exercise follows complaints received through the various security agencies, traditional authorities and local authorities concerning some boundary disputes.
The Ghana–Togo Border stretches over a distance of 1,098 kilometres from the tri-point with Burkina Faso in the north to the Atlantic Ocean in the south. Significantly, while the land border exercise is taking place, at the same time the two neighbouring countries are engaged in negotiations regarding the delimitation of their shared maritime border.
Speaking at the closing ceremony of the 7th meeting of the joint technical committee set-up to find a peaceful solution to the maritime boundary between Ghana and Togo, at the Labadi Beach Hotel on Friday, the 25th of June 2021, Mr Kan-Dapaah said beyond the amicable resolution of the maritime boundary dispute between Ghana and Togo, there is the need to urgently address land boundary disputes afflicting the two neighbours.
“While the focus over the past three days (23rd – 25th June 2021) has been primarily on our maritime boundary, it is worth highlighting that Ghana and Togo continue to cooperate on various issues, specifically relating to land boundary issues. Efforts will thus be made to continue to collaborate with Togo on all land issues so that they can be resolved amicably as well,” he said.
“I wish to recommend the establishment of a Joint Technical Committee for Land Boundary between our two countries. The Joint Committee shall jointly resolve all land boundary issues amicably for the peaceful co-existence of the two countries. I wish to task the Ghana Boundary Commission to initiate this idea,” the National Security Minister added.
Delimitation Deadline
On the ongoing negotiation between Ghana and Togo over their maritime boundary, Mr Kan-Dapaah expressed satisfaction with the level of work done by the two sides. He added that he is confident the November 2021 targeted date for the signing of the Ghana/Togo Maritime Boundary Delimitation Agreement will be met.
“At this rate, the Government and People of Ghana are quite optimistic and eagerly looking forward to meeting the November 2021 timeline for the signing of the Ghana/Togo Maritime Boundary Delimitation Agreement, by which time all grey areas would have definitely been clarified. This will thus pave way for another epoch-bilateral summit between our two countries,” Mr Kan-Dapaah said.
The Negotiation
The Seventh Joint Ghana-Togo Technical Committee meeting was aimed at further deliberations on the technical parameters and most importantly, to determine technical arrangements pending the delimitation of the maritime boundaries.
The successful determination of a common delimitated maritime boundary between the two countries will pave the way for the signing of the final Ghana-Togo Maritime Boundary Delimitation Agreement.
The bilateral meeting had the National Commission of Maritime Boundaries of the Republic of Togo representing the Togolese side and the Maritime Technical Committee of the Ghana Boundary Commission representing the Ghana side.