Nii Allotey Odunton
Nii Allotey Odunton (Ghana) occupied the position of the Secretary-General of the International Seabed Authority between 2009 and 2016.
Mr. Odunton was born and raised in Ghana. He obtained a B.Sc. in Mining Engineering and an M.Sc. degree in Mineral Economics and Mine Finance from the Henry Krumb School of Mines, Columbia University. He started his career in private industry but was soon requested, along with two university colleagues, to prepare a paper on resource assessment of the polymetallic nodule deposits in the international seabed area to assist in the work of the United Nations Conference on the Law of the Sea III. He started his United Nations career as an Economic Affairs Officer at the United Nations Department of International Economic Social Affairs, where he formulated the International Ocean Institute programme on the management and use of seabed resources. He was also a Chief of the Mineral Resources Section/Ocean Economics and Technology Branch in the same Department. As head of the section, he was responsible for contributing reports to United Nations conferences and meetings on marine mineral resources development. He was also a Senior Law of the Sea Officer at the United Nations Office for Ocean Affairs and the Law of the Sea.
Mr. Odunton had several positions at the policy-making level after joining the International Seabed Authority, serving as Deputy Secretary-General, Head of the Office of Resources and Environmental Monitoring, Interim Director-General of the Enterprise and Secretary of the Assembly.