Today, 19 October 2022, Mr. Auguste Mbappe Penda, General Manager of the Cameroon National Shippers’ Council (CNSC) and statutory treasurer of the Union of African Shippers' Councils (UASC), presided over the workshop on the impact of Cargo Tracking Notes (CTN) on national economies; a study requested by the West African Economic and Monetary Union (WAEMU).

Mr. N'Guessan N'Guessan, a consultant in multimodal transport and trade facilitation (WTO/AFE/APE/AFCFTA) presented the main findings of this study through a videoconference at CNSC's training hall at the Centre des Affaires Maritimes in Douala.

Conducted by INCOTRANS-5T2S (an expert in multimodal transport and trade facilitation), the study sought to provide answers to some concerns addressed to WAEMU by the World Trade Organisation (WTO) on the management of Cargo Tracking Notes (CTN) by UASC member Shippers' Councils.

The consultant, in his conclusion, made clear the key role of CTNs in the implementation of trade and transport facilitation within the Maritime Organisation for West and Central Africa (MOWCA) and the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) in the near future.

Moreover, the WTO, the FTA, UNCTAD and the AfCFTA could be strong promoters and defenders of this electronic and standardised document. It will all depend on the dynamic, proactive and inclusive will of the UASC and its member shippers' councils to work through the various challenges in the short term.

The workshop was conducted both virtually and face-to-face, with about 100 online participants from all 19 UASC member countries.