FREETOWN, 27th October 2026 – Sierra Leone has signed the United Nations Convention on Negotiable Cargo Documents, known as the Accra Convention, in a move the Government says will boost trade and open new business financing opportunities.
Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Mohamed Rahman Swaray, signed the Convention on behalf of Sierra Leone on Monday 26th October 2026 at a high-level signing ceremony hosted in Accra, Ghana.
The Accra Convention, adopted by the UN General Assembly on 15th December 2025, creates for the first time a single, technology-neutral legal framework for negotiable cargo documents across all modes of transport – road, rail, air and sea – in both paper and electronic form.
What it means for business financing
According to Minister Swaray, the key benefit for Sierra Leonean businesses is access to financing.
Under the Convention, an exporter will be able to use a single electronic cargo document as collateral to secure bank loans while goods are still in transit. This is expected to help Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) that often struggle to get trade finance because they lack physical documents or because paper bills of lading take weeks to arrive.
“It will help businesses access financing against goods in transit, simplify trade documentation and move products more efficiently to market,” Swaray said.
The Minister explained that by giving electronic records the same legal force as paper originals, the Convention will also cut port delays, reduce administrative costs, limit fraud and allow goods to be sold while they are on the move.
The treaty was negotiated by the UN Commission on International Trade Law (UNCITRAL), which Sierra Leone currently chairs for its 59th session – a position that made Freetown’s participation at the signing particularly significant.
Boost for Bio’s economic agenda
Swaray said the signing aligns with President Julius Maada Bio’s vision for economic diversification, investment and job creation, and will strengthen regional supply chains under the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).
For a country like Sierra Leone, where exporters of cocoa, coffee, fisheries, bauxite and iron ore rely heavily on maritime transport and then overland links, the ability to use one negotiable document for multimodal transport could lower costs and improve competitiveness at Queen Elizabeth II Quay and land borders.
Ghana was chosen by the UN to host the signing ceremony in recognition of its contribution to international trade law, and the Convention has officially been named the Accra Convention.
Swaray congratulated Ghana, commended the International Chamber of Commerce, Global Shippers Forum and FIATA for their role in developing the text, and reaffirmed Sierra Leone’s commitment to early ratification by Parliament. He also encouraged other African countries to join quickly.
The Convention will enter into force 180 days after 10 countries ratify it. Its full legal effect in Sierra Leone will depend on parliamentary ratification and domestication.
