Dr. Kofi Mbiah is the outgoing Chief Executive of the Ghana Shippers’ Authority
After just weeks of stepping down as the Chairman of the International Maritime Organization’s (IMO) Legal Committee in London, Dr. Kofi Mbiah, has gracefully bowed out as the Chief Executive of the Ghana Shippers’ Authority after 35 years of service to the Authority and to mother Ghana.
Dr. Mbiah first announced his retirement when he addressed the 11th Maritime Law Seminar for Judges of the Superior Courts of Ghana in November 18, 2016.
Dr. Mbiah started his working career at Ghana Shippers’ Authority in 1982 as an Assistant Legal Officer and rose through the ranks to become the Chief Executive Officer in 1999, making him the longest serving CEO of the Authority.
As helmsman at the Ghana Shippers’ Authority, working together with his able management and staff, he has been able to accomplish great feats for the Authority. There are a number of tangible as well as intangible achievements that have been realized during the period, including but not limited to the following:
During his leadership the Authority has acquired lands for future development in the Central, Greater Accra, Western, Ashanti and Northern Regions for future projects.
In his role as Chief Executive Officer of the Authority, Dr. Mbiah also represented Ghana at a number of Diplomatic Conferences for the adoption of Maritime Transport Instruments.
For over two decades he led Ghana’s delegation to the sessions of the Legal Committee of the International Maritime Organization; serving as vice chairman of the Legal Committee for over 10 years and Chairman for six years.He was the first black man to hold the position.
He contributed immensely to the development of various international maritime instruments, key among which is the United Nations Convention on Contracts for the International Carriage of Goods Wholly or Partly by SSDead (Yoter (Rotterdam Rules).
Dr.Mbiah has also made significant contributions to the development of shipping in the West African Sub-region. As chairman of the Union of African Shippers Councils and working with the Global Shippers Forum, he has been instrumental in dealing with a number of challenges facing Shippers in the region.
Since 2006, Dr. Mbiah has been a visiting professor at the World Maritime and Lund Universities in Malmo, Sweden and was also recently appointed by the IMO Secretary General as a Member of the Board International Maritime Law Institute of the IMO in Malta.
Over the period, Dr.Mbiah led the Authority to achievea number of awards including Award for its contribution towards Marine & Freight Industry (2001), The Most Innovative Shippers Organisation in Africa for the Year 2002, Third Prize for the Best Managed Shippers’ Council in Africa (2004), Best Maritime Agency in Trade Facilitation in West Africa for the Year 2007, The Most Innovative Shippers’ Council in West Africa for the Year 2008, Best Agency in Trade Facilitation in Africa for the Year 2010, International Quality Crown Award -Gold Category (2012), Best Agency in Trade Facilitation in Africa for the Year 2013 and Ghana Development Awards – Maritime Industry Category (2016).
Dr. Mbiah in his personal capacity also received several awards as a beacon of excellence and for his commitment and dedication to duty at both national and international levels. These include:
The foregoing testifies to the invaluable services that Dr. Mbiah has provided to the Authority in the past thirty-five years. He has been one of the most devoted and hardworking individuals that the Authority has had the benefit of engaging, in its 43 years of existence.
Dr. Mbiah will be replaced by Ms.Benonita Bismarck, a Strategic Planner and Management Consultant with experience in the shipping industry as the new Chief Executive Officer of the Ghana Shippers’ Authority.
By: 3news.com|Ghana
Twitter: @3news
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