Improving data collection in African ports to boost efficiencies

Port Connectivity Portal

COTE D’IVOIRE: An initiative to create an African Ports Connectivity Portal, funded by the Beijing-based Multilateral Co-operation Centre for Development Finance (MCDF) aims to improve data collection and connectivity among the continent’s ports.

Key stakeholders from port management organisations, the African Union Commission, regional economic communities, and port authorities and maritime associations from ten countries participated in a recent workshop hosted by the African Development Bank on implementing the project.

Supported by a $2 milliuon grant from MCDF, the project aims to create a comprehensive port data book, offering performance data for Africa’s ports and maritime transport sector, along with practical information on the continent’s leading ports. Additionally, the project will develop a secure, web-based tool for collecting, storing, and retrieving port data across the continent.

The initiative comes as a response to longstanding inefficiencies in African ports operations, which have led to higher logistics costs and hindered economic growth. Many ports across the continent have suffered from underinvestment and lack of reliable port performance data, essential for effective planning and management.

To address these issues, the African Development Bank established the African Ports Connectivity Portal Project (APC-PP) to digitize and integrate data collection, thereby improving data quality and availability. The project will enhance port development planning, policy dialogue, and regional infrastructure strategies, ultimately strengthening the capacity of African ports.

Discussions during the workshop cantered around three components of the APC-PP: technical support, design and implementation, and project governance.

The workshop resulted in several recommendations including the need to involve supranational organizations such as the African Union Commission, African governments, regional organizations, port management associations, port authorities, and the private sector.

The Workshop also observed the need to establish the project governance structure and the formation of a dedicated working group to review the terms of references and provide the project implementation plan, conduct a study on the sustainability plan for the portal project, the prequalification of ports authorities present as pilots for the project. These recommendations are expected to significantly impact the maritime sector in Africa, improving port operations and reducing logistics costs.

The next steps include implementing the web based port data portal, Africa Port Index, publishing port data book, and enhance collaboration with regional stakeholders to ensure the success of the APC-PP. A follow-up meeting is scheduled for early August in Addis Ababa, where a committee of port experts will finalize the project’s implementation instruments.