President Akufo-Addo has called on stakeholders in the oil industry to put in place urgent steps to make Ghana reap all the benefits from oil deposits in the now settled disputed region in the country’s territorial waters.
Addressing a group of officials from the energy ministry who were part of Ghana’s delegation that secured the ITLOS judgment in Ghana’s favour, the President said it is time for serious work to begin after the season of litigation.
The President also indicated that his Ivorian counterpart and colleague Head of State, Alassane Ouattara, has indicated that he will be sending a delegation to meet with him on the decision of the ITLOS, and as such needed to bring himself up to speed with issues surrounding the whole case. The meeting the President says will take place Thursday morning.
The ITLOS ruled Saturday that Ghana did not violate the sovereign right of Cote D’Ivoire by drilling oil around the maritime area shared by both countries.
“Ghana did not violate the provisional measures prescribed by the Special Chamber in its Order of 25 April 2015,” the judgement read by Judge Boualem Bouguetaia, President of the Special Chamber.
“There is no tacit agreement between the Parties to delimit their territorial sea, exclusive economic zone and continental shelf both within and beyond 200 nm, and rejects Ghana’s claim that Côte d’Ivoire is estopped from objecting to the “customary equidistance boundary,” added the judgement.
Ghana/StarrFMonline.com/103.5FM/Wilberforce Asare
