Maritime Governance Challenges in West Africa: A Comparative Analysis of UNCLOS Implementation in Ghana and Nigeria

The United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) provides the principal international framework for ocean governance, marine environmental protection, and equitable resource management. Despite widespread ratification, many coastal states struggle to translate UNCLOS obligations into effective domestic governance. This article compares UNCLOS implementation in Ghana and Nigeria, focusing on governance barriers to compliance and sustainable ocean management. A qualitative comparative design was adopted, combining legal analysis with reviews of laws, policies, institutional reports, treaties, and scholarly literature. Findings show that ratification alone does not ensure effective implementation. Institutional coordination, political commitment, financial and technical capacity, and enforcement mechanisms strongly influence compliance. Ghana demonstrates comparatively stronger institutional coordination, while Nigeria faces persistent challenges involving regulatory fragmentation, oil pollution, and weak enforcement. IUU fishing, maritime insecurity, and limited institutional capacity further constrain ocean governance across West Africa. The study concludes that effective UNCLOS implementation requires harmonized legislation, stronger inter-agency coordination, sustainable financing, technological innovation, and greater political accountability. It proposes practical reforms to strengthen ocean governance, protect marine ecosystems, and promote sustainable development of the West African Blue Economy.