London, United Kingdom – Atty. Miatta-Fatima Kromah’s election as Chair of the 1992 Fund Assembly for the 2026/2027 biennium has placed Liberia in a prominent position within an international system responsible for addressing the financial consequences of tanker-related oil pollution.
Liberia’s election to the Executive Committee of the 1992 Fund alongside Kromah’s elevation to the Assembly chairmanship gives the country a dual presence within the Fund’s governing structure.
The development is particularly notable because Kromah’s professional background has been built around many of the technical and diplomatic disciplines required for international maritime governance, including maritime law, oil-pollution compensation, international negotiations, maritime innovation and conflict resolution.
As Chair of the 1992 Fund Assembly, Kromah will lead sessions of the Assembly, guide deliberations of the Fund’s supreme governing body and undertake important institutional responsibilities.
The chair also has responsibilities relating to nominations and appointments, including the nomination of an external financial expert to the Joint Audit Body, while coordinating with the Director of the IOPC Funds and member states on institutional and maritime policy matters.
Kromah’s academic and professional preparation provides a broad foundation for those responsibilities.
She holds a BSc in Economics with a minor in Public Administration from Cuttington University, an LL.B. from the Louis Arthur Grimes School of Law, an LL.M. in International Maritime Law from the IMO International Maritime Law Institute and an MSc in International Strategy and Diplomacy from the London School of Economics and Political Science.
Her specialized professional training further expands that foundation.
At the MPA Academy in Singapore, Kromah received training in Maritime Transformation and Innovation, giving her additional exposure to evolving approaches to maritime administration, innovation and transformation.
In London, she undertook specialized training in the International Oil Pollution and Compensation Funds at IOPC, directly connecting her professional development to the institution she now leads as Assembly Chair.
Her training in International Negotiations at the London School of Economics and Political Science adds another dimension to her preparation, particularly in an international environment where member states must negotiate and reach consensus on complex maritime issues.
She also completed training in Conflict and Peace Negotiations with the Atrium Society in the United States, providing additional grounding in negotiation, conflict management and peace-building processes.
Together, the training programs complement Kromah’s formal academic qualifications and professional experience, creating a profile that combines technical maritime expertise with diplomacy and negotiation.
Kromah currently serves as Legal and Policy Counsel to Liberia’s Permanent Mission to the IMO in London. In that capacity, she has represented Liberian maritime interests and contributed to international discussions concerning maritime policy and law.
She has also provided legal counsel to the Liberia Maritime Authority and represented Liberia at numerous IMO meetings.
Her professional activities extend into private-sector legal practice through Harbour Law Group, which she founded and leads as CEO, with offices in Monrovia and London.
Kromah has also developed an advocacy profile around diversity and inclusion in the maritime sector. Through her work connected to the IMO Gender Network, she has supported efforts aimed at increasing women’s participation, visibility and leadership across maritime law, policy and governance.
The institutional role she now assumes is connected to an international compensation framework designed to provide financial protection against qualifying oil-pollution damage caused by tanker spills.
The 1992 Fund operates as an additional layer of compensation when the shipowner’s available compensation is insufficient to cover the total costs of qualifying pollution damage. Its framework can include eligible clean-up costs, economic losses, environmental losses, environmental reinstatement and certain preventive measures.
For Liberia, participation in the governance of the Fund carries particular relevance because of the country’s longstanding interests in international shipping and maritime affairs.
The election of Kromah as Assembly Chair therefore comes with both professional and national significance. It places a Liberian legal and maritime specialist in a position where she will preside over discussions involving member states and help guide the institutional work of the 1992 Fund.
Her background in international maritime law gives her technical grounding, while her training in negotiations, diplomacy, conflict resolution and maritime transformation adds complementary skills to her international leadership role.
The combination also reflects the increasingly multidisciplinary nature of modern maritime governance, where legal rules, environmental protection, financial compensation, diplomacy and technological transformation intersect.
Kromah’s elevation thus represents not only a new responsibility for one Liberian professional but also a broader demonstration of Liberia’s participation in specialized international maritime institutions.
As Liberia begins its 2026/2027 term on the 1992 Fund’s Executive Committee and Kromah assumes the Assembly chairmanship, attention will now turn to the country’s contribution to the Fund’s governance and to Kromah’s leadership of its deliberations.
