Omanghana
Ghanaian jurist Dr Sylvia Ama Adusu has been sworn in as a judge of the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea (ITLOS), becoming the first African woman to serve on the maritime court.
The ceremony took place on October 1, 2026, in Hamburg, Germany, marking the start of her nine-year term, which runs until 2035. She joined four other newly elected judges from Brazil, Tunisia, Vietnam and India.
Dr Adusu secured the position during the 36th Meeting of States Parties to the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, held in New York on June 18. She received 130 of the 169 votes cast, exceeding the required two-thirds majority.
A former Chief State Attorney and head of the International Law Department at Ghana’s Attorney-General’s Office, she brings extensive experience in international litigation and maritime law.
She holds a PhD in International Law from Lancaster University, where her research examined marine resource delimitation and conservation, with a focus on cooperation in the Gulf of Guinea.
Her work includes involvement in Ghana’s maritime boundary dispute with Côte d’Ivoire and the country’s submissions concerning its extended continental shelf. She also represented Ghana in the International Court of Justice’s climate change advisory proceedings.
Her appointment continues Ghana’s contribution to the tribunal, whose first president was the late Ghanaian jurist Thomas Aboagye Mensah. He served in that leadership role from 1996 to 1999.
ITLOS adjudicates disputes concerning the interpretation and application of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea. Its work covers matters including maritime boundaries, navigation, marine resources and protection of the marine environment.
Source: Omanghana
