Accra workshop accelerates port digitalisation across West Africa

A major regional initiative to modernise maritime trade across West and Central Africa has concluded in Accra, Ghana, equipping port, customs, and maritime officials from nine nations with the technical and regulatory tools required to accelerate port digitalisation.

The five-day regional workshop, held from 19 to 23 October, was jointly organised by the International Maritime Organization (IMO), the Africa Transport Policy Program (SSATP), and the World Bank, in close collaboration with the Ghana Maritime Authority. Supported by funding from the Korea-World Bank Partnership Facility (KWPF) and the Ministry of Transport of Ghana, the sessions brought together 55 key sector delegates, including 15 women, representing Cabo Verde, Equatorial Guinea, The Gambia, Ghana, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, Nigeria, São Tomé and Príncipe, and Sierra Leone.

Central to the discussions was the accelerated rollout of Maritime Single Windows (MSWs) alongside Port Community Systems (PCSs). Under the IMO’s Facilitation (FAL) Convention, the implementation of MSWs is a mandatory requirement designed to establish electronic data exchange for ship arrivals, stays, and departures. Rather than treating these platforms as isolated IT upgrades, delegates examined how interoperable digital platforms form the backbone of a harmonised regional trade ecosystem, drastically curtailing bureaucratic bottlenecks, shortening vessel turnaround times, and sharpening the continent's commercial edge.

Participants dedicated significant focus to the IMO Compendium on Facilitation and Electronic Business, which outlines how maritime and port data should be standardised and shared securely. Drawing upon recent analytical findings from the SSATP study, "Catching Up on Digital Port Infrastructure for Africa", alongside the joint IAPH-World Bank report, "Port Community Systems: Lessons from Global Experience", the sessions reinforced that technical tools succeed only when underpinned by robust national legal frameworks, sustained institutional leadership, and active multi-agency collaboration.

Representatives from regional bodies, including the Port Management Association of West and Central Africa (PMAWCA), the African Development Bank (AfDB), the African Harbour Masters' Committee (AHMC), and the African Alliance for Electronic Commerce (AAEC), shared lessons learned and evaluated systemic bottlenecks identified during earlier IMO country assessment missions. Country-led presentations enabled delegates to benchmark their current clearance mechanisms against peer programmes and identify practical funding mechanisms for cross-border infrastructure.

Delivered under the IMO’s Integrated Technical Cooperation Programme (ITCP), the gathering marked the third milestone in an expanding continental series, following earlier workshops in Abidjan in December 2025 and Dar es Salaam in April 2026. The programme directly supports the SSATP’s Fourth Development Plan (DP4), which prioritises corridor-wide digital transformation to bring down cargo handling expenses and elevate African ports within global supply networks.