Former Deputy Minister of Defense, Major (Rtd) Derrick Oduro, has disclosed that Ghana once came dangerously close to engaging in armed conflict with neighboring Ivory Coast over a maritime boundary and oil-related dispute.
Speaking in an interview on iKulcha TV/ Radio Kulcha with host Kwesi E. Baako, Major Oduro revealed that tensions between the two West African nations escalated to a point where military confrontation seemed possible.
According to him, the dispute, centered on oil-rich maritime territories in the Gulf of Guinea, posed serious security concerns at the time. “We nearly went to war with Ivory Coast because of the oil boundary issue,” he said, noting that the situation required delicate handling to prevent an outbreak of hostilities.
Major Oduro credited Ghana’s foreign policy of peaceful diplomacy and dialogue for averting what could have been a devastating regional conflict. “Due to our foreign policy of solving issues amicably, the matter was resolved through international arbitration rather than force,” he added.
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