Unified Data Seen as Key to Improving Performance at African Ports
Friday, 19 December 2025 05:52 
(Togo First) - African ports handle the bulk of the continent’s trade but continue to face a structural lack of harmonised, comparable data. This gap drives up logistics costs, deters investment and complicates regional integration.
To address these challenges, the African Development Bank (AfDB) has launched the African Ports Connectivity Project (APC-PP), a multilateral initiative aimed at harmonising port data standards. Manuel Ntumba, a Togolese national recently appointed project coordinator and regional data lead, described the programme as strategically important.
“For more than two decades, weak data governance has limited the ability of African ports to cut costs and support more competitive financing structures,” Ntumba said.
The project is financed by the Multilateral Cooperation Center for Development Finance (MCDF), hosted by the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB), and is being implemented by the AfDB in partnership with S&P Global Market Intelligence and consulting firm CPCS.
Its goal is to develop an interoperable, auditable data framework covering more than 60 African ports. Ntumba said persistent data fragmentation, the absence of common benchmarks and limited auditability have long skewed assessments of port performance and increased the risk premiums applied to African assets.
The programme will deliver a continental Port Data Book, a secure digital platform and an Africa Port Index. The index will draw on methodologies developed by S&P Global, including those used in the Container Port Performance Index produced with the World Bank.
Ntumba said the challenge extends beyond technical considerations. The aim is to make port data comparable, well documented and actionable, enabling credible risk analysis and more rational investment decisions.
In the near term, the AfDB plans to release an initial auditable version of the Port Data Book, roll out a platform compliant with international cybersecurity standards and publish an index enabling objective comparisons of port performance. These tools are intended to reduce information gaps that currently complicate due diligence for lenders and institutional investors.
The expected impact extends beyond the port sector. On a continent where 80% to 90% of trade moves through ports, unified data could transform supply chains. A harmonised data framework would allow congestion to be anticipated, flows to be optimised and the competitiveness of regional corridors to be strengthened. Ntumba said logistics cost savings of 20% to 30% are possible on certain routes.
Beyond the numbers, the project seeks to mark a fundamental shift by positioning data as a strategic asset. Ntumba said harmonisation would reduce uncertainty, rebuild confidence and enhance the attractiveness of African infrastructure.
Fiacre Enagnon Kakpo
