Sylvia Adusu becomes first African woman on law of the sea tribunal

Pinned summary · as of 15:38

Ghanaian lawyer Dr Sylvia Ama Adusu took her oath on Thursday, 1 October 2026, joining the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea (ITLOS) bench. She is the first African woman to sit on it, and the other newly elected judges were sworn in with her.

What we know

• Dr Sylvia Ama Adusu took the oath on 1 October 2026, alongside the tribunal's other newly elected members.
• States elected her on 18 June 2026 during the UNCLOS states parties' 36th meeting at UN Headquarters in New York; she is among seven judges whose term runs from 2026 to 2035.
• Foreign Affairs Minister Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa said Dr Adusu won 130 votes from UN member states, and described her election as a further significant gain for Ghana.
• The Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection hailed her new post as a landmark for women in leadership.
• Dr Adusu studied at the Ghana School of Law from 1991 to 1993 and later became Chief State Attorney, leading international law work at the Attorney-General's office and Ministry of Justice.
• She helped Ghana win its maritime boundary dispute with Cote d'Ivoire at ITLOS, and she advised on the ARA Libertad matter involving Argentina and Ghana.

What's disputed / unconfirmed

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  Chale News, citing YEN.com.gh, said no African woman had served as a judge since the tribunal's creation in 1996; the founding year appears in one report only.
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  YEN.com.gh reported that TV3 Ghana posted photographs of the ceremony on Instagram and called it a historic moment for Ghana; this was not reported elsewhere.
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  Chale News said Dr Adusu has appeared for Ghana before foreign courts, arbitration panels, the ECOWAS Court of Justice and the African Court, and that ITLOS is based in Hamburg, with 21 judges chosen by parties to UNCLOS. Other reports did not carry these details.

Why it matters for Ghana

A Ghanaian now sits on the court that settles disputes over seas, ports and boundaries, an area where Ghana has already relied on ITLOS for its maritime boundary with Cote d'Ivoire. The appointment is also being presented by government as a landmark for women in international law and leadership.