The Managing Director of Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority, Mr. Michael Achagwe Luguje, was elected as the IAPH Vice President, Africa Region (2021-2023)
International Assosiation of Ports and Harbors (IAPH) recently announced in a press release that, Mr. Michael Achagwe Luguje, Managing Director, Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority, Ghana, was elected as Vice President for the Africa Region by the vote of confidence to fill the vacancy of the position.
Based on Article 21 of the IAPH Constitution, he took office on April 27, 2022, until Annual General Meeting during the IAPH World Ports Conference in 2023.
Early life and education
Michael Achagwe Luguje was born on 28 November 1973 at Pong in Tamale but hails from Navrongo, in the Upper East Region of Ghana. He holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in French and Linguistics from the University of Ghana, and Master of Science degree in Maritime Affairs from the World Maritime University in Malmo, Sweden. He also holds an Executive Master of Business Administration in Project and Strategic Management from the Paris Graduate School of Management, France.
A successful career
Luguje joined the Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority in 1998 as a National Service Personnel. He gained employment at the organisation in 1999, and five years later, he became the special assistant to the then Director General of the Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority. He joined the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) in 2007, working as the Regional Coordinator for Western and Central Africa, and in 2012, he was made the Secretary General for Port Management Association of West and Central Africa (PMAWCA). While working with PMAWCA, he doubled as the Executive Secretary of the Pan African Association of Port Cooperation (PAPC). He served in that capacity from 2012 until 2017. In 2017, he mobilised member ports from the region to support the candidacy of Ms. Hadiza Bala-Usman, Managing Director of Nigerian Ports Authority, who became the first to be elected Vice President (Africa Region) of the International Association of Ports and Habours (IAPH), under its new constitution. In June 2018 he was appointed Acting Director General of the Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority, and a month later, he was made substantive Director General of the organisation where he succeeded Paul Ansah.
A Non-Governmental Organisation, representing the voice of the world port industry
The International Association of Ports and Harbors (IAPH) is a non-profit, non-governmental organisation (NGO) founded in November 1955. Its headquarters are in Tokyo, Japan. Recognised as the only international organisation representing the voice of the world port industry, IAPH has consultative status as a non-governmental organisation (NGO) with five specialised United Nations (UN) bodies and one intergovernmental body:
– UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC)
– International Maritime Organisation (IMO)
– United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD)
– United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)
– International Labour Office (ILO)
– World Customs Organisation (WCO)
IAPH’s new mission statement is to advance the interests of ports worldwide through strong member relationships, collaboration and information sharing that help solve common problems, advance sustainable practices and continually improve the way ports serve maritime industries.
