Kamal-Deen Ali, PhD, Navy Captain (Rtd.), is an accomplished executive director with extensive experience in maritime law, security, and international relations. Kamal has demonstrated exceptional leadership and expertise in shaping policies, improving ocean governance, and promoting maritime security across Africa as the Executive Director of the Centre for Maritime Law and Security Africa (CEMLAWS Africa) and a Senior Lecturer at the University of Professional Studies Accra.
Kamal’s enormous contributions to maritime security and ocean governance have garnered him worldwide and regional prominence. He was a key part of the UNECA-led team that created the Blue Economy Handbook for Africa, and he served as a Technical Expert and Consultant to the UN High Panel on Sustainable Blue Economy. He also led the formulation of Ghana’s and Nigeria’s National Maritime Strategies.
Kamal is an accomplished academic with a PhD, LLM, and Master of Arts degree. He has written extensively, and his book “Maritime Security Cooperation in the Gulf of Guinea: Prospects and Challenges” is widely considered as an important contribution to global and regional expertise.
Various international organizations and countries have sought Kamal’s expertise. He has worked as a consultant for UNDP, UNODC, EU, AfDB, Commonwealth Secretariat, DANIDA, ECOWAS, US State Department, and Bloomberg Philanthropies on projects.
Furthermore, Kamal’s roles as an Adjunct Professor at Nelson Mandela University, a Fellow of the Council on Foreign Relations Ghana, and a Senior Fellow of the Australian National Centre for Ocean Resources and Security demonstrate his dedication to advancing academic and policy discussions in the field of maritime security.
Throughout his career, Kamal has demonstrated a strong commitment to capacity building and transparency in fisheries governance, among other vital problems. He has served as the primary consultant on various projects in West African countries tackling piracy, fishing vessel destabilization, and fisheries transparency.
With an impressive track record in academia, consulting, and military service, Kamal-Deen Ali continues to be a respected and influential figure in the field of maritime law and security, dedicated to fostering sustainable and secure ocean governance across Africa and beyond.