Unlocking Africa’s port performance: building a data-driven foundation for connectivity and trade

CPCS Transcom

April 24, 2026

CPCS, in partnership with S&P Global, is supporting the African Development Bank (AFDB) in developing the Port Data Book 2025 and a comprehensive port performance index laying the groundwork for better decision-making, greater transparency, and stronger connectivity across Africa’s port sector.

The challenge: fragmented data and limited visibility

Ports are the backbone of Africa’s trade, handling most of the continent’s imports and exports. Yet despite their strategic importance, access to reliable, up-to-date, and comparable port data remains limited.

Over the years, institutions such as the AFDB, the World Bank, and the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) have made important contributions to port data collection and publication. While these efforts have generated valuable insights, they have often faced key limitations such as:

Irregular updates
Incomplete geographic coverage
Difficulty in standardizing data across countries and ports

This fragmented data landscape creates a significant obstacle for the sector. Without consistent and credible information, policymakers, investors, and port operators face challenges in measuring performance, identifying bottlenecks, and prioritizing investments effectively.

A continental initiative to strengthen port intelligence

To help close this gap, the AFDB engaged CPCS, together with S&P Global, to develop the Port Data Book 2025 as part of the African Ports Connectivity Portal and the African Port Index.

The ambition is clear: to create a robust, regularly updated, and accessible knowledge base that offers a comprehensive picture of Africa’s port sector.

More than a data collection exercise, this initiative is designed to become a practical decision-support tool, one that enables:

Improved monitoring of port performance
Stronger regional and international connectivity
More informed infrastructure planning and investment decisions

From data collection to actionable insight

CPCS led the development of a structured and rigorous methodology to collect and validate port data across the continent.

This included the design of detailed questionnaires to gather standardized information directly from port authorities, covering critical dimensions such as:

Cargo volumes and throughput
Operational performance
Infrastructure capacity
Connectivity and hinterland access
Environment and gender

Given the variability in data availability and quality across markets, CPCS also implemented robust quality assurance processes. Data was cross-checked against multiple sources and carefully tested to ensure consistency, reliability, and comparability.

This step is essential. In infrastructure planning, data is only valuable when it is credible.

Building a performance index for African ports

Beyond data collection, and S&P Global are developing a composite port performance index to provide a clearer and more comparable view of port performance across Africa.

The index integrates multiple dimensions, including:

Port productivity and operational efficiency
Level of digitalization
Connectivity to hinterland transport networks
Gender representation and environmental impact initiatives

By bringing these indicators together into a single analytical framework, the index enables stakeholders to benchmark ports, identify strengths and weaknesses, and monitor progress over time.

Supporting a digital platform for port intelligence

To maximize accessibility and long-term impact, CPCS will also support the design and development of a dedicated port data portal.

The platform will enable users to:

Access standardized port statistics
Explore key performance indicators
Analyze trends across regions and over time

By centralizing and digitizing data, the portal will improve transparency and give governments, investors, and development partners easier access to the information they need to make evidence-based decisions.

A new reference point for Africa’s port sector

The Port Data Book 2025 will consolidate the data collected and provides a broad, evidence-based analysis of Africa’s port landscape.

It will offer valuable insights into:

Port performance and competitiveness
Traffic growth and market dynamics
Regional trade patterns and future opportunities

Importantly, it also establishes a monitoring and evaluation framework to support ongoing performance tracking and continuous improvement across the sector.

Strengthening connectivity through better data

Improving port performance is not only about investing in infrastructure, but also about improving access to reliable information.

By delivering a structured, credible, and comparable dataset, CPCS is helping stakeholders to:

Identify bottlenecks and inefficiencies
Prioritize investments more effectively
Strengthen regional trade corridors
Enhance Africa’s global competitiveness

This work demonstrates the transformative role that data and analytics can play in infrastructure development.

From data to impact: CPCS expertise

This assignment highlights CPCS’ ability to combine:

Deep infrastructure sector expertise
Advanced analytics and data systems
Policy and institutional insight

to deliver tools that go beyond analysis and directly support better decision-making.

Turning data into better infrastructure decisions

As Africa’s trade continues to expand, the need for reliable infrastructure data will only become more critical.

CPCS works with governments, development partners, and infrastructure stakeholders to turn data into actionable insight and insight into better investment decisions.

If your organization is looking to strengthen infrastructure analytics, improve performance benchmarking, or develop data-driven investment strategies, CPCS can help. Contact us at communications@cpcs.ca.

CPCS: Better infrastructure solutions. Better lives.