Counsel Olimatou Danso-Malang is the Director of Legal Affairs at the Gambia Maritime Administration (GMA) and brings over 12 years of experience in maritime law and legal services. In her role as head of the Legal Department, she is responsible for a wide range of duties, including providing legal advisory services on maritime-related matters, drafting and facilitating the domestication of international maritime conventions in close collaboration with the Maritime Environment and Governance Department and the Ministry of Justice. In addition to her advisory role, Counsel Danso-Malang is instrumental in drafting and vetting GMA’s contracts, ensuring compliance with maritime laws, and representing GMA in both international and local meetings.

Her educational qualifications include a Master of Laws (LLM) in International Maritime Law from the International Maritime Law Institute, a Bachelor’s degree in Law from the University of The Gambia, and a Barrister-at-Law Certificate from The Gambia Law School.

Counsel Danso-Malang has a distinguished legal career, marked by significant roles and specialized training. From 2011 to 2017, she served as a Senior State Counsel in the Criminal Division at the Ministry of Justice. Prior to this, she began her career in the Judiciary, advancing from Clerk to Assistant Registrar between 2006 and 2011. Her extensive training includes:

• 2024: Drafting Workshop Training on National Legislation to Implement IMO Instruments;
•  2023: "GHG-SMART" Program, focusing on Greenhouse Gas Reduction Strategies for Least Developed Countries and Small Island Developing States;
•  2017: Anti-Corruption Training for Judges and Prosecutors;
•  2015: Workshops on Irregular Migration's Impact on International Shipping and Counterterrorism Practices;
•  2014: Sessions on Protection and Promotion of Intellectual Property Rights, Traditional Knowledge, and Community Paralegal Training; and
•  2014: Certificate in Regional Workshop on Seizure, Confiscation, and Management of Proceeds of Crime in West Africa.

Demonstrating her commitment to legal education, Counsel Danso-Malang has trained community leaders on the Women's Act 2010, Sexual Offences Act 2013, and Domestic Violence Act 2015. She has also conducted sensitization programs for chiefs and district tribunal members on the Children's Act 2005.

At the Ministry of Justice, she served as the Focal Person for The Gambia in the West African Network of Central Authorities and Prosecutors (WACAP) from 2013 to 2017. She chaired a task force addressing issues related to political and remand prisoners and was part of the legal team assisting commissioners in the Commission of Inquiry into the Financial Activities of Former President Yahya AJJ Jammeh. Additionally, she contributed to the legal team that prosecuted the December 2015 Treason Trial Case (The State House Attack or Abortive Coup).

Counsel Danso-Malang is a member of several legal associations, including The Gambia Bar Association and the Female Lawyers Association, and serves as the Focal Person for Women in Maritime for West and Central Africa (WIMOWCA), as well as the President of the WIMOWCA The Gambia chapter.