26 countries sign Accra Convention to boost trade facilitation, digitalisation

Twenty-six countries have signed the United Nations Convention on Negotiable Cargo Documents, known as the Accra Convention, in a move aimed at facilitating international trade, expanding access to trade finance and accelerating digitalisation.

The signing ceremony, held in Accra on October 26, 2026, saw Ghana become the first country to sign the Convention, which establishes a harmonised legal framework for negotiable cargo documents covering road, rail, air and sea transport.

Speaking at the ceremony on behalf of President John Dramani Mahama, the Minister for Trade, Agribusiness and Industry, Elizabeth Ofosu-Adjare, said the Convention would address longstanding challenges that have prevented businesses, particularly small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), from accessing financing using goods in transit as collateral.

She explained that while maritime cargo documents have traditionally enabled goods to be traded during transit and used to secure bank financing, similar arrangements have not been available for goods transported by road, rail and air.

Ms Ofosu-Adjare cited estimates that between 80 and 90 per cent of Africa’s freight moves by road, while intra-African trade accounted for only 14.4 per cent of the continent’s total trade in 2024.

She also highlighted Africa’s estimated trade finance gap of between US$74 billion and US$92 billion in 2024, noting that the Convention could help address some of the barriers limiting access to finance.

Under the new framework, negotiable cargo documents will be able to serve as documents of title across different modes of transport. The Convention also provides protections for parties who rely on such documents in good faith and gives electronic cargo documents the same legal effect as their paper counterparts.

The Minister reaffirmed Ghana’s commitment to ratifying the Convention and reviewing relevant laws on transport, the sale of goods, evidence, electronic transactions and secured lending to support its implementation.

She also announced plans to pilot negotiable cargo documents in collaboration with the Ghana Shippers’ Authority, the Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority, the Customs Division of the Ghana Revenue Authority and banks.

The Secretary of the United Nations Commission on International Trade Law (UNCITRAL), Anna Joubin-Bret, commended Ghana for hosting the ceremony and acknowledged the cooperation between the government and the UNCITRAL Secretariat in preparing for the Convention to open for signature.

She said the Convention would help reduce legal uncertainty, facilitate trade finance, strengthen supply chains and support digital trade, particularly as African countries deepen regional integration under the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).

Ms Joubin-Bret described the signing ceremony as an important first step towards implementing the international legal framework and urged countries to support its wider adoption.

Heads of delegation from participating countries also delivered statements outlining their perspectives on the Convention and its significance for international trade and transport.

The 26 signatories are Ghana, Sierra Leone, Burkina Faso, Cabo Verde, China, Comoros, Côte d’Ivoire, Cuba, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Djibouti, Dominica, the Dominican Republic, Gabon, The Gambia, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Mauritania, Nicaragua, Nigeria, Pakistan, Rwanda, Saudi Arabia, South Sudan, Togo, Tanzania and Venezuela.

Adopted by the United Nations General Assembly on December 15, 2025, the Accra Convention takes its name from Ghana’s capital, where it opened for signature.

The Convention will enter into force after the tenth instrument of ratification, acceptance, approval or accession is deposited.