Lomé, February 23, 2026 -(©AfreePress)- Accra’s decision to initiate arbitration proceedings to delimit its maritime boundary with Togo has sparked intense public debate. While the Ghanaian government has formally launched arbitration under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), some voices in Togo are calling for a firmer stance on broader border issues.
According to Ghanaian authorities, the move follows several years of bilateral negotiations that failed to produce a consensus. At the heart of the dispute lies a maritime area believed to be rich in fisheries resources and offshore hydrocarbons, whose exploitation could carry significant economic implications for both countries.
A process governed by international law
The arbitration mechanism provided for under UNCLOS is widely recognized as a legal avenue for the peaceful settlement of maritime disputes. Similar procedures have been used by several African states, notably in the Bakassi Peninsula case resolved by the International Court of Justice between Nigeria and Cameroon.
For now, no detailed official response has been issued by the Togolese authorities regarding the strategy they intend to adopt in this new phase of the dispute.
Public debate and historical claims
On social media, the maritime dispute has reignited historical sensitivities. Some commentators have referenced the 1956 referendum held under British administration in Western Togoland, which resulted in its integration into the Gold Coast—later becoming independent Ghana under Kwame Nkrumah.
Others, however, argue that raising such claims would be ill-timed in the current regional context, advocating instead for stability and adherence to diplomatic and legal mechanisms.
“I think it is time for Togo to also put the issue of its reunification on the table, both to the west and the east. We should not always be the ones to endure,” wrote Ben Yashikov on Facebook. His position was echoed by Alex Wilson, who added: “It is unfortunate to say, but the time has come to address the issue of the illegal 1956 referendum. Togo must regain its pre–World War I borders. Cameroon was reunified, even though tensions persist there between the Anglophone regions and the central government. Even the oil-rich Bakassi Peninsula was handed back to Cameroon by Nigeria following the International Court of Justice ruling. This is the position of a Togolese citizen frustrated to see his country unfairly deprived of a large part of its territory and population. There is no need for armed conflict between the two countries to resolve this dispute.”
These reactions reflect heightened public sensitivity over issues of sovereignty, both maritime and territorial. They do not, however, represent an official position of the Togolese government.
A strategic issue for both nations
Beyond the debate, maritime delimitation carries major strategic importance. Securing maritime boundaries determines access to offshore resources, environmental protection efforts, and the overall stability of bilateral relations.
In a regional context marked by security and economic challenges, observers stress the importance of a peaceful resolution grounded in international law to preserve good-neighborly relations between Lomé and Accra.
Developments in the case will be closely monitored, both diplomatically and legally.
Albertine A.
