UNCTAD TrainForTrade, Port Management Programme

The TrainForTrade Port Management Programme (PMP) of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) "supports port communities in developing countries in delivering more efficient and competitive port management" (UNCTAD TrainForTrade, n.d.). Its stated objectives include strengthening the institutional capacity of ports, promoting public-private partnerships, improving port competitiveness, and improving the environmental sustainability and social responsibility of ports (UNCTAD TrainForTrade, n.d.). The program runs through four language networks (English, French, Portuguese and Spanish) (UNCTAD TrainForTrade, 2016). Recent activities were delivered under its English-speaking, French-speaking and Spanish-speaking networks (UNCTAD TrainForTrade, 2026a; 2026b; 2026c).

Approach

Structured, certified curriculum. The core offer is the Modern Port Management course. It has 240 hours of instruction over two years, in eight modules (UNCTAD TrainForTrade, 2016): international trade and transport, organization of a port system, functioning of a port system, future challenges to ports, methods and tools of port management, economic and commercial management, administrative and legal management, and technical management and human resources development (UNCTAD TrainForTrade, n.d.).

Assessment through applied work. To earn the UNCTAD Certificate, participants must complete all eight modules and defend a final dissertation (UNCTAD TrainForTrade, n.d.). The dissertations are case studies on a real problem in the participant's own port community, with concrete recommendations (UNCTAD TrainForTrade, 2026a; 2026c).

Local delivery with host port authorities. Courses are hosted in the participating country. In Ghana, the Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority hosted a module that was delivered by national port experts from Ghana (UNCTAD TrainForTrade, 2026b).

Target group and incentives. Cohorts are made up of middle managers from the local port community (UNCTAD TrainForTrade, 2026a; 2026b; 2026c). In the Panama cycle, the best-performing participants receive a scholarship for a study visit to Spanish ports in 2027 (UNCTAD TrainForTrade, 2026c).

Results

In Douala, Cameroon, 29 middle managers (13 women) in Cycle 17 presented their case studies at a mock jury in 2026, ahead of final theses before an international jury in December 2026 (UNCTAD TrainForTrade, 2026a). In Panama, 29 middle managers (11 women) in Cycle 1 presented their final case studies in September 2026 (UNCTAD TrainForTrade, 2026c). In Takoradi, Ghana, 15 middle managers (3 women) took part in Cycle 6 (UNCTAD TrainForTrade, 2026b). Cycle numbers such as Cycle 17 in Douala and Cycle 14 in Dakar show that the course has been repeated many times in the same port communities (UNCTAD TrainForTrade, 2026a; 2026d). Across the program, UNCTAD reported 2,591 port managers trained and 1,174 certificates delivered by 2015 (UNCTAD TrainForTrade, 2016).