Green ports and decarbonisation on the agenda in Africa

Addressing priority areas for operational transformation

NIGERIA: African leaders affirmed their commitment to position African ports as environmentally responsible partners that strengthen competitiveness and efficiency within the transport system during a workshop that highlighted the findings of a continental report aimed at addressing priority areas for operational transformation.

Driving Africa’s transition towards sustainable maritime systems, the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS Commission), in close collaboration with the African Union Commission (AUC), convened a high-level Continental Validation Workshop this week on Green Ports Guidelines, Maritime Greenhouse Gas Emissions Reduction and the Implementation of the Revised African Maritime Transport Charter, bringing together senior continental actors, maritime institutions and technical experts for a two-day strategic engagement.

Opening the session, Chris Appiah, Director of Transport at the ECOWAS Commission, underscored the urgency of positioning Africa’s maritime sector within global transitions, stressing that “efficiency, operational capacity and trade facilitation must remain at the core of Africa’s response, even as the continent advances towards greener maritime systems,” while cautioning that sustainability measures must reflect Africa’s realities and development priorities.

Speaking on behalf of the President of the ECOWAS Commission, Dr Omar Alieu Touray, he reaffirmed ECOWAS’ commitment to strengthening maritime governance, enhancing port infrastructure and supporting Member States in building resilient and competitive transport systems.

Providing a continental perspective, Raissa-Julie Ada Allogo, Head of Maritime Transport, African Union Commission, called for a unified African voice in global maritime negotiations, noting that “this is the time for Africa to speak with one voice, to ensure that the transition towards decarbonization remains inclusive, realistic and aligned with the capacities of our Member States.”

She highlighted the strategic importance of the Revised African Maritime Transport Charter (2010), recently entered into force, as a cornerstone for modernising Africa’s maritime governance and reinforcing institutional coordination across the continent.

Regional maritime organisations further reinforced the operational dimension of the discussions. Dr Paul Adalikwu, Secretary General of the Maritime Organisation of West and Central Africa (MOWCA), emphasised that green port development is “both an environmental responsibility and a strategic investment to enhance competitiveness, resilience and efficiency across African ports,” while Kassim Kaziba Mpaata, Secretary General of the Maritime Organisation for Eastern, Southern and Northern Africa (MOESNA), stressed the need for Africa to reduce structural dependency and build its own maritime capacity to mitigate external shocks.

Captain Sunday M. Umoren, Secretary General of the Abuja Memorandum of Understanding on Port State Control, highlighted that compliance with international maritime standards is essential to safeguarding Africa’s participation in global shipping systems and avoiding increased operational costs.

Representing development partners, Madam Bekele Essete Abebe, on behalf of the German International Cooperation (GIZ), reiterated the importance of strengthening port systems as critical infrastructure for trade, noting that “ports remain the backbone of global supply chains, and investing in sustainable and resilient port infrastructure is central to Africa’s economic transformation and climate response.”

The technical sessions, led by the African Union Commission’s consultant team, provided an in-depth presentation of the Handbook/Guidelines on Green Ports in Africa, based on extensive consultations across Member States.

The findings highlighted priority areas including renewable energy integration, electrification of port operations, digitalisation, emissions monitoring, climate resilience and fuels, while emphasising that green ports must be approached as a comprehensive economic and operational transformation rather than a narrow environmental agenda.

The outcomes are expected to strengthen Africa’s maritime governance architecture, enhance port performance and position the continent as a proactive and strategic actor in the global transition towards sustainable and decarbonised maritime transport.

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