Dr Kofi Mbiah, Chief Executive of the Ghana Shippers' Authority, has received the African Maritime and Energy (AME) Evergreen Award for 2014.

He was awarded at the 4^th Africa Shipping and Oil Roundtable held on the 10^th - 12^th September in Durban, South Africa.

The AME awards, which is organized by the prestigious African Business and Logistics Support Services (ABALSS), is the premier awards project dedicated to the pursuit of excellence, integrity and quality services in Maritime and Energy sectors across the continent. 

In her comments preceding the conferment of the Awards, the Chairperson of ABALSS, Mrs. Remilekun Rasaq Taiwo, indicated that the AME Evergreen Award is reserved for maritime experts and stalwarts in the Maritime Industry in Africa who have shown consistency in delivering excellence not only at the national and regional levels but also at the international level.

The award is conferred on icons in the African maritime industry who have held high the banner of Africa at the International level, she stressed.

The AME Evergreen Award conferred on Dr. Mbiah is in recognition of his invaluable contribution to the development of the maritime sector not only in Ghana and Africa but also on the international scene.

It is significant to note that the citation that accompanied the award highlighted Dr. Mbiah's lofty achievements including;

• Leading Ghana's delegation to the sessions of the Legal Committee of the IMO for over 19 years,
• His election, for the fourth consecutive time, as chairman of the Legal  Committee of IMO in 2014. The first black man to hold that position, 
• His immense contribution to the development of various international maritime instruments,
• Leading Ghana's delegation to the UNCITRAL sessions for the development of the United Nations Convention on Contracts for the International Carriage of Goods Wholly or Partly by Sea, known as the Rotterdam Rules,  
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• His role as resource person at a number of regional and international conferences on Maritime Transport and Trade facilitation issues,
• The sterling qualities exhibited in his role as Chief Executive Officer of the Ghana Shippers' Authority.

The citation also noted that Dr. Kofi Mbiah's track record unveils him as a beacon of excellence and an icon worth celebrating. It stated further that he has indeed paid his dues to the industry he has served so well for so long. That during the long period of service he has distinguished himself by maintaining his effectiveness and influence on the global maritime stage thus making him truly Evergreen.

The other Awardees included Mrs. Joyce Bawah Mogtari, Ghana’s Deputy Minister of Transport, who received the AME Laureate Award, Transnet National Ports Authority of South Africa received the AME Container Terminal of the Year, and Mr. I. P. Azumah, Director General of the Ghana Maritime Authority who received the AME Maritime Administrator of the Year.