New IAPH Regional Vice President to focus on rallying Africa's ports to further enhance their resilience
International Association of Ports and Harbors (IAPH) is pleased to announce that Mr. Michael Achagwe Luguje, Managing Director, Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority, Ghana, has been elected as Vice President for the Africa Region by a vote of confidence of its Region’s members.
Michale Luguje commented : “On behalf of my country Ghana and the Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority, I thank IAPH's member organizations in Africa for the confidence they have placed in me. During my tenure as VP, I will focus on rallying Africa's ports to further enhance our resilience through stronger cooperation, knowledge sharing and capacity building within Africa and globally under the umbrella of the IAPH.”
IAPH President Captain Subramaniam Karuppiah commented: “We are delighted to welcome Michael to the IAPH board and his new role as Vice President. In recent years he has worked very closely with our team on raising the profile of the global initiatives taken by IAPH, in particular the efforts to accelerate digitalisation in the maritime supply chain and the importance of establishing a sound port cybersecurity strategy, with IAPH experts attending in person and remotely at the recent Port Management Association of West and Central Africa (PMAWCA) conference in Douala, Cameroon.”
Michael will take over the reins from Jens Meier, IAPH Vice President for the Europe Region and CEO of Hamburg Port Authority, who was additionally appointed as temporary Coordinator for Africa following the tenure of Ms. Hadiza Bala-Usman, former Managing Director of Nigerian Ports Authority.
Jens Meier commented : “I welcome Michael as he joins us as Vice President for Africa Region. In the last year, we took the initiative to reach out to individual members in our IAPH Africa Region to increase their engagement, including personal calls I have made with their CEOs and an open, online forum to discuss key issues including decarbonisation and digitalisation together with our European members. We wish Michael well in taking this engagement to the next level.”
Michael Luguje holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in French and Linguistics from the University of Ghana, and a Master of Science degree in Maritime Affairs (Port Management) from the World Maritime University, Malmo, Sweden, and an EMBA in Project and Strategic Management (PGSM, France).
Prior to being appointed Director-General of Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority (GPHA) in July 2018, Michael occupied several other international roles representing the continent, including Secretary-General - Port Management Association of West and Central Africa (PMAWCA); Executive Secretary - Pan African Association of Port Cooperation (PAPC) and Regional Coordinator for West and Central Africa, International Maritime Organization (IMO).
Based on Article 21 of the IAPH Constitution, Michael has officially taken office as of April 27, 2022, until Annual General Meeting during the IAPH World Ports Conference in 2023.
About IAPH
Founded in 1955, the International Association of Ports and Harbors (IAPH) has developed into a global alliance of 162 port authorities, including many of the world’s largest port operators as well as 127 port-related businesses. Comprised of 87 different nationalities across the world’s continents, member ports handle approximately one third of the world’s sea-borne trade and well over 60% of the world container traffic. With its NGO consultative status recognised by the IMO, ECOSOC, ILO, UNCTAD, UNEP, and WCO, IAPH leads global port industry initiatives on decarbonisation and energy transition, risk and resilience management, and accelerating digitalisation in the maritime transport chain. It’s World Ports Sustainability Program has grown into the reference database of best practices of ports applying the UN Sustainable Development Goals and integrating them into their businesses.