GOVERNANCE
Our Referents
Board of Directors
The AASI Board of Directors (B.D) is composed of professionals committed to the development of maritime transport and intermodality in Africa.
The AASI Board of Directors (B.D) is composed of professionals committed to the development of maritime transport and intermodality in Africa.
Professor at the University of Nantes, France
Legal Counsel and International Expert
Senior Legal Adviser at the United Nations (UNECA)
Knight of the French Order of Maritime Merit
International Legal Expert at the IFEJI (French Institute of International Legal Experts), established and led by the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Cooperation and Francophonie, in collaboration with the Paris Bar.
A University Professor, he brings over thirty years of academic and operational expertise at the intersection of academia, institutional practice, and the international sphere. He served as a Senior Legal Adviser within the United Nations, at the Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA). In this capacity, he supports States in negotiating international economic agreements (investment, trade, taxation), securing major projects (energy, natural resources, infrastructure), strengthening institutional capacities, and providing strategic legal assistance.
A recognized international legal expert, he advises governments, regional organizations, and specialized institutions. His roles notably include: Arbitrator at the Paris Maritime Arbitration Chamber; Consultant in economic, maritime, and transport law; Advisor on liability issues related to major maritime disasters; and Expert for African and international organizations (African Union, maritime institutions, etc.).
His areas of expertise notably cover transport and maritime law, international business law, North–South economic relations, and the regulation of extractive industries and infrastructure.
Author of more than 185 scientific publications, his work focuses primarily on maritime and transport law, business law and international trade, and liability law. He also directs specialized academic collections and journals, actively contributing to the advancement of legal research in his fields of expertise.
Professor Martin NDENDE is a Knight of the Order of Maritime Merit and a recipient of several academic excellence awards.
He is a leading international legal expert, combining academic excellence, high-level institutional experience, and strong engagement with economic and legal challenges.
Professor Philippe Delebecque is an agrégé of the French law faculties in private law and criminal sciences (1982). He has been teaching at the University of Paris I Panthéon-Sorbonne since 1992, after holding academic positions at the University of La Réunion (1983–1986) and at Aix-Marseille III University (1986–1992).
A recognized specialist in maritime law, air law, and transport law, he also holds numerous institutional and expert roles at both national and international levels. He is notably a member of the Académie de Marine, President of the Paris Maritime Arbitration Chamber, and President of the French Society of Air and Space Law. He also served as President of the French Maritime Law Association.
Professor Delebecque acts as an expert for major organizations such as the World Bank, the International Maritime Organization (IMO), the National Transport Council, and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, particularly in connection with the work of UNCITRAL in transport law. He also serves as an arbitrator with several leading institutions, including the Paris Maritime Arbitration Chamber, the International Arbitration Chamber of Paris, the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC), and the French Arbitration Association (AFA). He was also a member of the Board of Governors of the World Maritime University in Malmö.
Mr. Auguste MBAPPE PENDA is the Director General of the National Shippers’ Council of Cameroon, based in Douala, and serves as an Arbitrator at the Chambre Arbitrale Maritime de Paris.
A specialist in international trade and maritime transport matters, he actively works toward the protection and promotion of shippers’ interests through institutional representation, capacity-building initiatives, and strategic monitoring of global trade issues.
Throughout his career, he has led and supervised several major initiatives benefiting stakeholders in international trade and the transport sector, including:
Mr. Auguste MBAPPE PENDA also represents Cameroon within several bodies of the International Maritime Organization, particularly in the areas of maritime safety, marine environmental protection, maritime transport facilitation, and legal affairs.
In addition, he holds several strategic positions at the national, regional, and international levels, including:
Through his commitment and leadership, Mr. Auguste MBAPPE PENDA actively contributes to the development of international trade, the modernization of the maritime sector, and the strengthening of logistics competitiveness in Central Africa.
Chairman of the B.D
Dr. Alvine Bélise HAPPI holds a PhD in Law from the University of Paris I Panthéon-Sorbonne, where she defended a doctoral thesis entitled “Motorways of the Sea: Legal Aspects,” awarded the highest distinction Très Honorable avec Félicitations du Jury, and published by Éditions L’Harmattan (Paris). Her research is part of a strategic reflection on the role of law in structuring sustainable and integrated maritime corridors serving international trade.
Admitted to the Paris and Cameroon Bar Associations, she is also a Transport and Logistics Engineer, graduated from the École Supérieure des Transports in Paris, and trained in intermodality and Short Sea Shipping at the Escola Europea de Short Sea Shipping (2E3S). She has further enhanced her expertise through several professional certifications in freight forwarding, as well as maritime and inland freight brokerage.
Her commitment is grounded in practical experience. Her expertise lies at the intersection of international business law, maritime law, and infrastructure development challenges. Drawing on experience gained within professional organizations in the maritime, port, and logistics sectors, as well as international law firms, she advises on complex matters related to legal structuring, financing, and governance of transport systems.
Throughout her career, she has worked alongside public and private stakeholders in the maritime, port, and logistics sectors, as well as international law firms. Actively engaged in the transformation of regional and international supply chains, she has contributed to transport infrastructure development projects across Europe, Latin America, Sub-Saharan Africa, the Middle East, and Southeast Asia, with a strong focus on sustainability, territorial connectivity, and port competitiveness. Across all regions, a common objective prevails: connecting territories, streamlining trade flows, strengthening supply chains, and reducing inequalities in access to essential infrastructure.
A member of the Standing Commission on “Maritime Transport & Passengers” of the French Maritime Law Association (FMLA), she actively contributes to ongoing reflections on the evolution of the legal framework governing maritime transport.
Her work is guided by a global vision: positioning maritime law and multimodal transport as key drivers of sustainable development, economic integration, and the reduction of territorial inequalities, particularly between emerging regions and major global trade corridors.
She possesses recognized expertise in maritime law, as well as in international and multimodal transport. Her areas of practice notably include regulatory matters, acquisition and restructuring operations, with a particular focus on transport infrastructure development and the improvement of logistics performance and supply chains.
Honorary Member of B.D.
Dr. Gaston NGAMKAN holds a Doctorate in Law from Aix-Marseille University and is a recognized expert in Maritime and International Transport Law, with leading specialization in International Multimodal Transport of Goods.
His doctoral thesis, defended in 1993 and dedicated to the legal framework governing international multimodal transport as applied to Cameroon, adopted a comparative and operational approach that remains today a benchmark for the development of African legal systems and emerging economies.
A member of the Cameroon Bar and former attorney before the Court of Appeal of Aix-en-Provence, he combines extensive expertise in civil law and international legal systems with substantial experience in litigation, strategic advisory services, and the management of complex disputes. His expertise covers all matters relating to international trade, maritime and land transport, logistics, and marine insurance.
Formerly a transport legislation expert with United Nations Conference on Trade and Development, he contributed to the modernization of regulatory frameworks within the maritime and port sectors in Africa. He is notably recognized as the principal architect of the CEMAC Merchant Shipping Codes of 2002 and 2012, which are currently in force throughout the Central African States.
Dr. Gaston NGAMKAN also serves as an arbitrator before the Common Court of Justice and Arbitration, where he participates in the resolution of commercial and maritime disputes of significant international dimension. He is also listed as an arbitrator with the GECAM Mediation and Arbitration Center.
A corresponding member of the Association Française du Droit Maritime, he actively contributes to doctrinal and institutional discussions concerning contemporary developments in maritime law, transport law, and international trade.
His advisory and legal assistance activities benefit all stakeholders across the global logistics chain, including insurers and P&I Clubs, shipowners, charterers, shippers, freight forwarders, port operators, insurance and reinsurance companies. He advises and represents them on strategic matters involving substantial legal, operational, and financial stakes.
Author of numerous studies published in French and African legal journals, he also published the reference work Le contrat de transport routier de marchandises sous la bannière de l’OHADA et à la lumière de la CMR européenne (L’Harmattan, Paris, 2015), with a foreword by Professors Philippe Delebecque and Pierre Bonassies.
Honorary Member of B.D.
Aboubacar FALL is a lawyer admitted to the Senegal Bar and a former lawyer at the Paris Bar. He holds a Doctorate in International Business Law from the University of Rouen (France), a Master’s degree in International Transport from Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne University (France), and an LL.M. in Law & Marine Affairs from the University of Washington in Seattle (United States). He also holds a Certificate in Petroleum Resource Policy and Management from the PETRAD Institute in Stavanger (Kingdom of Norway).
For more than ten (10) years, Mr. FALL served as Senior Legal Counsel to the African Development Bank Group (AfDB), and as Chairman of the Governing Council of the African Legal Support Facility (ALSF). He is currently the co-founder and managing partner of the law firm AF Legal, based in Dakar (Senegal).
Mr. FALL is also co-founder of Africa Law Alliance (ALA), a network of independent law firms specialized in business law, covering West, Central, and North Africa. He holds several positions within professional associations, notably as a Titular Member of the Comité Maritime International (CMI), President of the Senegalese Branch of the International Law Association, Vice-President of the African Arbitration Association (AfAA), Member of ShipArrest.com, and former President of the Senegalese Maritime Law Association.
Mr. FALL teaches in several local and regional universities and has published numerous works on maritime law, maritime policy, and international transport law.
Honorary Member of the B.D
Professor Mustapha EL KHAYAT holds a State Doctorate in Economic Sciences from the University of Aix-Marseille and a Doctorate in Law from the University of Paris II Panthéon-Assas. He is internationally recognized as a leading expert in maritime transport, logistics, international trade, and port policy.
With more than forty (40) years of professional experience, he advises public institutions, international organizations, and private companies on development projects, modernization initiatives, training programs, and strategies aimed at enhancing logistics competitiveness.
Throughout his career, he has collaborated with prestigious institutions such as the European Commission, the World Bank, the European Investment Bank (EIB), Drewry Shipping Consultants, and CETMO (Centre for Transportation Studies for the Western Mediterranean) in Barcelona. He has led or contributed to numerous strategic studies on port infrastructure, Motorways of the Sea, multimodal logistics platforms, international supply chains, and the development of trade flows across Europe, the Maghreb, and the Middle East.
A former university professor in both Morocco and France, director of academic research centers, and coordinator of specialized programs in transport and logistics, he has trained and mentored several generations of executives, experts, researchers, and decision-makers.
As President of the Moroccan Logistics Association (AMLOG) and former Chairman of the Training Commission of the Maritime Union for the Mediterranean, he actively promotes excellence, innovation, and capacity building within the maritime transport, logistics, and international trade sectors.
Author of numerous books and scientific publications, Professor Mustapha EL KHAYAT is a frequent speaker at international conferences, forums, and professional gatherings dedicated to transport, logistics, international trade, and economic development.