Ghana to host historic signing ceremony for UN Convention on Negotiable Cargo Documents

Ghana will host the signing ceremony for the United Nations Convention on Negotiable Cargo Documents on October 26, 2026, in a move to advance the digitalisation of international trade documentation.

The event, scheduled to take place in Accra, will be held alongside the commemoration of the 60th anniversary of the United Nations Commission on International Trade Law (UNCITRAL).

The Chief Executive Officer of the Ghana Shippers’ Authority (GSA), Professor Ransford Gyampo, announced this during a media engagement in Accra on October 15, 2026, ahead of the ceremony.

He described Ghana’s hosting of the event as an opportunity to demonstrate the country’s commitment to trade facilitation, digital transformation and stronger international trade connectivity.

“It reflects Ghana’s contribution to international efforts to modernise commercial law and provides an important platform to demonstrate our commitment to trade facilitation, digital transformation and stronger regional and international trade connectivity,” he said.

The convention seeks to establish a harmonised legal framework for electronic negotiable cargo documents, allowing them to perform the functions of their paper-based equivalents, subject to the instrument’s requirements.

Negotiable cargo documents, including bills of lading, play an important role in international trade by representing rights to goods in transit, facilitating cargo movement and supporting commercial transactions and trade finance.

However, Professor Gyampo noted that continued reliance on paper-based documentation could cause delays, increase administrative costs, expose transactions to fraud and complicate the movement of goods across borders.

“This is an important development for international trade. It creates opportunities to reduce documentation-related delays, improve transaction efficiency, facilitate access to trade finance and support the development of more integrated digital supply chains,” he stated.

Stella Ansha, a director at the Ministry of Trade, Agribusiness and Industry, who spoke at the engagement, also said Ghana was pleased to host the signing ceremony, describing it as an opportunity for the country to help shape the future of global trade.

Speaking on behalf of the sector minister, she said that the convention would address gaps in the use of negotiable cargo documents for goods transported by modes other than sea.

She explained that while bills of lading facilitate the transfer of rights to goods transported by sea, transport documents used for road, rail and air freight are generally not negotiable in the same way.

This, she said, can make it difficult to transfer rights to goods in transit or use the documents to secure trade finance.

According to Ansha, the convention seeks to address this challenge by establishing a legal framework for negotiable cargo documents in both paper and electronic forms for goods transported by different modes of transport.

She said the framework could improve access to finance, create opportunities for small and women-led businesses, strengthen links between landlocked countries and global markets, and support more efficient digital trade.

Ansha also disclosed that Ghana was preparing to sign the convention and proceed promptly with ratification.

She said more than 10 countries were expected to be ready to sign the instrument at the ceremony, while encouraging other countries to join the initiative.

The convention will enter into force 180 days after the deposit of the 10th instrument of ratification, acceptance, approval or accession, in accordance with its provisions.

“The bill of lading transformed trade by sea. The convention offers an opportunity to extend those benefits to road, rail and air transport,” she said.

She described the initiative as a reform with practical implications for businesses and international commerce.

Implications for Ghana and African trade

Professor Gyampo said hosting the signing ceremony aligns with Ghana’s ambition to become a preferred trade and logistics hub in West Africa and advance the objectives of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).

He explained that the convention could particularly benefit African trade, where cross-border transactions often involve multiple jurisdictions, transport modes, and border procedures.

For Ghanaian importers and exporters, the framework could reduce administrative burdens, speed up trade transactions and improve access to trade financing.

However, Professor Gyampo cautioned that these benefits would not materialise through the signing ceremony alone. They would depend on sustained efforts to adopt, ratify, and implement the convention, as well as on the readiness of businesses, financial institutions, transport operators, and regulators to use electronic negotiable cargo documents.

BAI