Gyakye Quayson encourages all UN member states to sign, ratify and implement the Accra Convention

The Government of Ghana has hosted the signing ceremony of the United Nations Convention on Negotiable Cargo Documents, known as the “Accra Convention”, which was adopted by the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) on 15th December, 2025.

The historic ceremony which took place on Monday, 26th October 2026, coincided with the commemoration of the 60th Anniversary of the United Nations Commission on International Trade Law (UNCITRAL).

The event brought together representatives of Member States and key stakeholders to advance international cooperation in trade law and facilitate the efficient movement of goods across borders.

James Gyakye Quayson, Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs of Ghana, speaking on behalf of the Government and People of Ghana, welcomed participants and expressed confidence that their presence at the signing ceremony would further deepen cooperation among countries.

He highlighted UNCITRAL’s contributions to international trade over the past six (6) decades and stressed that, amid global uncertainty and rising geopolitical tensions, international cooperation remained essential. He underscored the need to harmonise international trade laws, expand global trade and strengthen cooperation among countries of the Global South to promote a more equitable trading system.

He further encouraged all United Nations Member States to sign, ratify and implement the Accra Convention to realise its full benefits, which includes supporting regional integration and the implementation of the ECOWAS Trade Liberalisation Scheme (ETLS).

On his part, Honourable Joseph Bukari Nikpe, Ghana’s Minister of Transport, highlighted the importance of the transport sector to national development and noted that the Convention would provide greater flexibility, reduce administrative bottlenecks and improve the efficiency of cargo movement across road, rail and air transport networks.

He called for a coordinated approach to the implementation of the Convention, emphasising the need for Member States to work together to facilitate the seamless movement of goods across national borders and along international trade corridors, thereby stimulating trade and economic growth. He reaffirmed Ghana’s readiness to work with UNCITRAL and other stakeholders to achieve this objective.

Ms. Anna Joubin-Bret, Secretary of the United Nations Commission on International Trade Law (UNCITRAL) and Director of the International Trade Law Division of the United Nations Office of Legal Affairs, expressed the appreciation of the United Nations Secretary-General to the Government of Ghana for hosting the signing ceremony and thanked participating Member States and stakeholders for their contributions. She noted that UNCITRAL has, over six decades, worked to harmonise international trade law, reduce legal uncertainty and facilitate cross-border commercial transactions.

She explained that the Accra Convention, adopted by the UNGA in December 2025, was designed to reduce legal uncertainty in international trade and facilitate the movement of goods across borders. She emphasised that the benefits of the Convention would depend on its widespread adoption and effective implementation.

She also acknowledged the support of international and regional organisations, industry stakeholders and the Government of the People’s Republic of China for their contributions to advancing the Convention and promoting greater awareness and understanding of its objectives and significance in facilitating international trade.

Honourable Elizabeth Ofosu-Adjare, Minister of Trade, Agribusiness and Industry of Ghana, speaking on behalf of the President of the Republic, highlighted the Convention’s potential to address existing gaps in cargo documentation across the road, rail and air transport sectors.

She emphasised the importance of facilitating the movement of goods across Africa to promote intra-African trade and strengthen regional integration. She outlined three key features of the Convention: its application to goods in transit, the protection it offers to buyers and banks relying on negotiable cargo documents and the recognition of electronic documents as having the same legal effect as their paper-based equivalents.

Honourable Ofosu-Adjare further announced that her Ministry, in collaboration with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and other relevant stakeholders, would initiate the necessary domestic legal processes towards ratification of the Convention, with the aim of positioning Ghana amongst the first countries to ratify same.

She stressed that Ghana’s role as host of the signing ceremony would be more meaningful if followed by concrete action towards its ratification and implementation and expressed the country’s desire to see other Member States join in supporting the Convention.

Following the declaration by Ms. Anna Joubin-Bret that the Convention was open for signature, Twenty-six (26) countries signed the Accra Convention, marking an important step towards its wider adoption and implementation.

Representatives of participating Member States expressed appreciation to the Government and People of Ghana for hosting the ceremony and underscored the Convention’s importance in reducing legal uncertainty, facilitating international trade, improving cargo movement and strengthening cooperation among countries.

The ceremony reaffirmed Ghana’s commitment to multilateral cooperation, the modernisation of international trade law and the promotion of an efficient, inclusive and rules-based global trading system. It also highlighted the importance of sustained collaboration among Governments, International Organisations and industry stakeholders to ensure the widespread adoption and effective implementation of the Accra Convention.