Sustainable Smart Ports for African Countries and Small Island Developing States (SIDS) was a UN Development Account project aimed at strengthening the capacity of selected African countries and SIDS to develop sustainable and smart ports as part of their recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic. International Economics is conducting an independent evaluation to assess project results and identify lessons learned to inform future interventions.
Evaluation of the UN Project “Sustainable Smart Ports for African countries, including Small Island Developing States, to Recover Better from COVID-19”
Evaluation of the UN Project “Sustainable Smart Ports for African countries, including Small Island Developing States, to Recover Better from COVID-19”
- Country : Global
- Donor : UNCTAD
- Date : 01/12/2025 – 30/04/2026
The Project at A Glance
What We Found
Ports are a critical link in global trade, with SIDS particularly reliant on them for access to goods and economic continuity. The COVID-19 pandemic, along with pressures from the global energy transition, has highlighted the need for more resilient, efficient, and low-carbon port infrastructure. In this context, UNCTAD has been working with selected African countries in building Sustainable Smart Ports to strengthen capacity, improve efficiency, and enhance resilience. The Sustainable Smart Ports Project (2022-2025) promoted the use of clean energy and technology-driven solutions to strengthen port operations, enhance stakeholder knowledge, and support sustainable development, contributing to COVID-19 recovery and the Sustainable Development Goals.
International Economics is conducting an independent evaluation of the Sustainable Smart Ports project to assess its outcomes and provide actionable recommendations for future initiatives. The evaluation covers all three beneficiary countries, namely Morocco, Ghana, and Mauritius, for the duration of the project (March 2022 to April 2025).
Our Strategy and Impact
International Economics is conducting an independent evaluation of the UNCTAD project, applying a theory-based, participatory, and cost-effective approach to assess the project’s design, implementation, and results. The team will examine the project against OECD-DAC criteria: relevance, coherence, efficiency, effectiveness, and sustainability, while integrating UN cross-cutting issues, including gender equality, environmental sustainability, disability inclusion, and the principle of leaving no one behind.
The evaluation will identify key achievements, good practices, and value-for-money outcomes, highlight implementation challenges and remaining gaps, and formulate practical recommendations to strengthen future interventions. It will also draw transferable lessons to support replication in other countries and projects, in line with UN evaluation standards and policies.
Our Core Solutions
Applying our analysis and research knowledge, we help our clients maximise efficiency and improve their development objectives. Through the lessons learnt and the feedback mechanisms we implement in our monitoring, evaluation, and learning (MEL) processes, we support institutional strengthening and the re-alignment of resources to ensure the sustainability and maximum impact of projects, helping our clients make well-informed strategic decisions.
