Ghana has formally notified the government of Togo of its decision to seek international arbitration to delimit the maritime boundary between the two countries.
In a statement issued on Friday, February 20, 2026, the government said the boundary would be determined through recourse to arbitration under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).
A maritime boundary dispute between Ghana and Togo over offshore oil exploration began in December 2017 and May 2018, when Togolese authorities halted two Ghanaian seismic vessels conducting deep-sea data acquisition in an area near Togo’s waters.
The development came shortly after the resolution of Ghana’s maritime boundary dispute with Côte d’Ivoire, after which Togo began asserting claims over a boundary area approaching its territory.
As a result, the Ghanaian government, in the statement issued, noted that the decision follows years of negotiations between Ghana and Togo, which have not resulted in an agreed outcome.
“Ghana has taken this step in order to avoid an escalation of incidents that have created tensions between some of our institutions and to promote an amicable resolution, thereby contributing to the continued good relations between our two countries,” the statement said.
The government stressed that the move is aimed at ensuring a peaceful and rules-based resolution of the matter while preserving the longstanding diplomatic ties between the two neighbouring states.
