The International Tribunal on the Law of the Sea in Hamburg made certain rulings on September 23 in a dispute between Ghana and the Ivory Coast over maritime boundaries. The Tribunal’s decisions have been very well received in Ghana.
Celebrations at the official level have been more measured, understandably. With the exception of a football-related episode of mayhem between club fans back in the nineties, Ghana has had really peaceful relations with its western neighbour with whom, in fact, a lot of familial blood is shared (no point shedding what is shared, I suppose).
Of course Ghanaians tuned in to the live delivery of the court ruling, but few could actually decode it digestibly. So what does the ruling actually mean?
Does it have implications for other maritime boundaries in the Gulf of Guinea? What are the cross-border geopolitical nuances at play in the sub-region?
My guest tonight is Dr. Ali Kamal-Deen, a maritime law and security specialist. He’s director of the research at the Armed Forces Command and Staff College in Accra, and heads the Centre for Maritime Law and Security in Africa. Dr. Kamal-Deen has his eyes keenly on the needle when it comes to piracy in the Gulf of Guinea and he’s widely published on the subject.
He’ll take your questions.
