Ghanaian legal expert Dr Sylvia Ama Adusu has been sworn in as a judge of the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea (ITLOS).
Dr Adusu was elected to the Tribunal at the 36th Meeting of States Parties to the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS). She began her nine-year term on October 1, 2026, and was sworn in at a public sitting on the same day.
Her election marks a significant milestone for Ghana and adds another experienced Ghanaian jurist to an important international judicial institution.
Based in Hamburg, Germany, ITLOS adjudicates disputes concerning the interpretation and application of UNCLOS, as well as other matters falling within its jurisdiction.
Dr Adusu brings extensive experience in international law and the law of the sea to the Tribunal. She previously served as Ghana’s Chief State Attorney and Director of the International Law Department at the Office of the Attorney-General and Ministry of Justice.
She has also represented Ghana in proceedings before ITLOS, including the ARA Libertad case involving Argentina and Ghana and the Ghana–Côte d’Ivoire maritime boundary dispute.
Her election adds a Ghanaian jurist with substantial experience in maritime and international law to the membership of the Tribunal.
