Personal bio
Umaru Koroma, Esq. I am currently the Deputy Minister of Mines AND Mineral Resources Designate. Republic of Sierra Leone I hold a postgraduate degree in International Dispute Resolution from the University of London having passed with Merit examinations conducted by Queen Mary University of London, with specialization in International Commercial Arbitration and international Investment Law and the Law of the Seas. I also completed my undergraduate degrees in both political science and law, respectively at Fourah Bay College, University of Sierra Leone. I served as the Deputy Minister of Justice of the Republic of Sierra Leone from 2019 to 2023. before my appointment as Deputy Minister of Justice, I was appointed as Chairman of the National Commission for Privatization immediately following the election of Julius Maada Bio as President of the Republic of Sierra Leone in 2018, where I was responsible for the management and policy guidance of 19 government parastatals. As Deputy Minister of Justice, I led many government delegations on multilateral agreements including Sierra Leone’s delegation to the United Nations Convention on International Settlement Agreements resulting from Mediation, also known as the Singapore Convention on Mediation. As Deputy Minister of Justice, I was part of a team of lawyers who worked with other international Law firms to deal with the mining dispute between the Government of Sierra Leone and the Gerald Group when the Mining Lease agreement with the SL Mining was terminated by the Government of Sierra Leone. At the Ministry of Justice, I also participated and negotiated majority of the big Mining Licenses given by the Government of Sierra Leone to the major mining companies presently operating in the Republic of Sierra Leone. Prior to my being appointed to serve in the President Bio-led administration, I had a very successful legal practice as a private legal practitioner, participating in several leading cases influencing the jurisprudence in Sierra Leone. I was Deputy Head of Chambers of one of the leading law firms in Sierra Leone while in private practice. I also hold a certificate and Diploma from the International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes and The Africa Arbitration Academy respectively.