Kofi Ampeah Woode
Ghana and its immediate western neighbour – la Cotê d’Ivoire have jointly held a historic Community Sensitization Programme to herald their Joint Land and Maritime Boundary Reaffirmation Exercise.
In the Jomoro Municipality of Ghana’s Western Region, a day’s joint sensitization program took place on Thursday 23 November 2023, at the Naval Barracks, New Town (Avolenu) – the Township which hosts the famous Pillar 55 – the symbolic land boundary that terminates into the maritime boundary, which was largely referred to in the International Tribunal on the Laws of the Sea (ITLOS) Ruling, of the neighbours’ maritime boundary dispute on 23 September, 2017, in Berlin.
The program which was organized by the Ghana Boundary Commission (GhBC), was well-patronized by the townsfolk, with a delegation of the Commission Nationale des Frontieres de la Cotê d’Ivoire (CNFCI), and addressed by various governmental officers from both countries, with conjoined interests of security, trade, good neighbourliness and families interests expressed.
Addressing the gathered, Ghana’s Western Regional Minister and Member of Parliament (MP) for Takoradi – Mr Kwabena Okyere-Darko Mensah, lauded the two nations’ resolve to leave a legacy of peace and stability, not only for the current generation, but also posterity.
The Minister continued that the collaborative spirit, characterized by the joint reaffirmation exercise reflects the strong diplomatic ties between the two nations, and underscores the commitment to ensuring accurate and mutually agreed-upon boundaries.
He continued to say that the exercise does not only uphold the principles of good neighbourliness, but also contributes to the maintenance of regional peace and stability, and that the engagements with the local communities illustrate transparency and inclusivity in boundary management.
He concluded that accurate boundaries pave way for co-operative development, shared resources, and strengthened ties between nations, and that it is an opportunity for dialogue, understanding, and collaboration with the very people whose lives are knitted to these borders.
The Political Advisor at the German Embassy, Accra – Ms Pauline Okkens, said border disputes across the world lead to unfortunate consequences, however, Ghana and la Cotê d’Ivoire not only settled their disputes peacefully, but have also worked together to enforce the ITLOS Ruling, and ensured that the daily lives and livelihoods of the people along the border in both countries, are not impeded.
She said Germany recognizes the importance of well-defined borders for each country, and the role of good border governance, in preventing or resolving cross-border issues, that being the context within which Germany continues to show strong commitment to the activities of the GhBC, including enhancing its technical capabilities and knowledge.
Taking his turn for a brief, the National Coordinator, GhBC – Major General (Maj Gen) Emmanuel Wekem Kotia, expressly outlined the premise for the joint boundary reaffirmation exercise and said it will be on land, and will commence from the terminating point of Pillar 55, with the initial stages being undertaken for 50 kilometers, of a joint reconnaissance and reaffirmation exercise.
The exercise, which commences two days after the sensitization program, is in three phases, with Phase I being the reaffirmation exercise, Phase II being further reaffirmation and confirmation of location of pillars, and Phase III to be the construction of pillars along the reaffirmed boundaries that have been conducted.
Advancing reasons for the reaffirmation project, General Kotia said there have been a lot of pillars, mounted during the colonial periods, which have been removed or tampered with, with some on the shore being covered by sand.
Maj Gen EW Kotia further identified the siting of long distances between the pillars when they were constructed, leading to unidentifiable land boundaries, engendering the local population across the border being unable to identify where the boundary line is.
He informed that upon consensus by the two nations, there will be the introduction of new types of pillars, with the main posts differing from the colonial type, in addition to some intermediary ones, border-crossing types (where there is a border post), to guide the Immigration Services on the obvious location of the boundary.
Ghana and la Cotê d’Ivoire, he continued, have jointly generated a plan on how to implement the ITLOS Ruling, one of them being future Joint Maritime Inspections, and thus he appealed to the Ivorian Navy, to avail themselves for a Joint Inspection on the maritime boundary in March 2024, the first taking place in April 2023, and another in November 2023.
Following the call for future joint-inspections, which he asserted would help the cooperation between the two neighbours, Maj Gen Kotia projected the joint construction of a lighthouse and a monument at Pillar 55, as an indication of the maritime boundary on land, running into sea.
The Army General, made a clarion call to localities where inhabitants are able to identify some of the old boundary pillars, whether removed or tampered with, to help the Joint Technical Committee members, who would encounter difficulties in identifying the pillars, by providing them with historical information of the pillars.
He urged traditional rulers, leaders of opinion, religion, women groups, youth groups, civil society organizations, the media, to help educate the population of the tedious task ahead, and to go along with the team, since the exercise will be transparent, and not a secret operation to be conducted.
The Executive Secretary, CNFCI – Mr Diakalidia Konatē, said the boundary between Ghana and Cotê d’Ivoire has existed for close to two Centuries, and a research conducted by Ivorian Boundary Commission shows that, 90% of communities along the boundary have families’ interests in both countries.
After the colonial masters left the legacy of the boundary, it is important for both countries to go back to the ground to reaffirm the boundary since over time, human activities and intentional removing have affected the boundaries, Mr Konatē stated.
He reemphasized that the exercise is reaffirming, and not demarcating the boundary, and that the boundary is not supposed to be a barrier but a bridge, where communities along both countries can live in harmony, and be able to deal with common challenges, such as illegal mining, and transnational organized crimes (TOC).
The land boundary between Ghana and la Cotê d’Ivoire is approximately seven hundred and thirteen kilometers (713Km), with two hundred and fifty-seven (257) rivers and streams in between the land boundaries, with the maritime Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) between the two countries being 200 nautical miles on the maritime boundary, less the Continental Shelf.
Other dignitaries present included Municipal Chief Executive (MCE), Jomoro Municipal Assembly – Madam Louisa Iris Arde; MCE, South Comoē and Aboisso – Mr Lēgrē Koukougnon; Secretary General, Tiapoum Municipality – Mrs Yeo Yeperi Senin; District Chief Executive of Noē – Mr Dosso Losseny; Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) Representative at the African Union Border Program – Ms Valerie Nina Nick.
By Kofi Ampeah-Woode
