Kanio Bai Gbala is a Legal Consultant at CIJ heading the Liberia operations. Prior to joining CIJ, he served as Assistant Professor of Law at the University of Liberia, where he taught Contracts Law, International Business Transactions, and Public International Law. With over 15 years of experience across selected West African countries, Kanio has held senior roles at TrustAfrica, the Liberia Anti-Corruption Commission, UNDP, and DAI. In these roles, he drew upon his personal experience of the Liberian civil war to inform practical, reform-oriented approaches to governance in fragile and post-conflict environments.

Kanio has been recognised as a Chevening Fellow and a French-African Foundation Young Leader. He holds two bachelor’s degrees in business administration and law respectively, as well as a Master of Laws in Democratic Governance and the Rule of Law from Ohio Northern University.