Ghana is positioning itself to lead efforts within ECOWAS to adopt and implement a new international framework aimed at making trade finance and cross-border movement of goods easier through negotiable cargo documents.

The Minister for Trade, Agribusiness and Industry, Elizabeth Ofosu-Adjare, said Ghana is committed to signing and ratifying the United Nations Convention on Negotiable Cargo Documents, which is expected to provide a common legal framework for the use of cargo documents in financing and trading goods transported by road, rail and air.

She made the commitment on Wednesday, October 7, 2026, when she opened a virtual sensitisation programme organised for ECOWAS Member States on the Convention.

The programme was intended to help countries examine the implications of the instrument and assess its compatibility with their respective national legal systems.

The Convention was adopted by the United Nations General Assembly on December 15, 2025, through Resolution 80/162, and is recommended to be known as the Accra Convention on Negotiable Cargo Documents.

It is scheduled to be opened for signature in Accra on October 26, 2026, giving Ghana an opportunity to host the next stage of efforts towards its adoption.

Ms Ofosu-Adjare urged participating ECOWAS countries to use the sensitisation programme to deepen their understanding of the Convention and submit clear recommendations to their respective governments on the way forward.

She said Ghana was ready to welcome ECOWAS Member States and stakeholders from across the world to Accra for the signing ceremony.

The Secretary of the United Nations Commission on International Trade Law (UNCITRAL), Anna Joubin-Bret, and ECOWAS Commission Director of Trade, Kolawole Sofola, also encouraged Member States and other stakeholders to participate actively in the process and support the Convention’s signature, ratification and implementation.