News

By Isabelle Durant, Deputy Secretary-General, UNCTAD

UNCTAD predicts that annual growth in maritime trade between 2022 and 2026 will slow to 2.4%, compared to 2.9% over the past two decades.

UNCTAD warns that global consumer prices will rise significantly in the year ahead until shipping supply chain disruptions are unblocked and port constraints and terminal inefficiencies are tackled.

UNCTAD says the African Continental Free Trade Area could boost intra-African trade by up to 33% and cut the continent’s trade deficit by 51%.

The continent also remains the largest seafarer-supplying region in the world. Four of the top five countries supplying seafarers in 2021 were from Asia.

Slow progress in digitalization and paperless transactions, lack of transparency in regulatory procedures and weaknesses in long-term planning are among the issues holding back port performance in the region.

UNCTAD tests a new training game that helps port managers to come up with solutions to make their ports more resilient and compliant with the UN Sustainable Development Goals.

The latest data for 2020 show growing reliance on digital technologies, boosting international trade of computers and related equipment and reversing falls seen in 2019.

Botswana gears up to diversify its economy by moving from mining minerals to mining knowledge.

Good policy choices and actions will make the difference in steering technological change towards economic recovery and development outcomes that leave no one behind.