[Côte d’Ivoire] Dock labour management digital transformation

In Côte d’Ivoire, the dock labour management agency, SEMPA/BMOD, has provided an update on five years of reforms and modernisation efforts focused on digitalisation, workforce management, and professional training, Ecofin Agency reports.

During a May 21 press conference at SEMPA/BMOD headquarters in Vridi, Abidjan, Secretary General Alexis N’Guessan Zoukou addressed the strategic role of the institution in the country’s port activity.

He stated that nearly 60 per cent of Côte d’Ivoire’s foreign trade passes through its ports.

“We are an organisation that ensures the 8,500 men and women working at the ports are qualified, protected, and available 24 hours a day,” he said.

One of the primary reforms reportedly involved the digitalisation of dockworker recruitment. Until 2023, daily hiring operations were still handled manually. 

“Since SEMPA was created in 1959, recruitment was carried out through open call hiring. With the introduction of the new digital system, we started a real digital transition,” Mr Zoukou said.

The Secretary General stated that workers now receive job assignments by SMS through a dedicated digital platform. In addition, electronic time clocks installed across port sites also allow automatic attendance tracking and payroll processing. 

According to SEMPA/BMOD, the transformation effort has improved transparency in hiring, strengthened fairness among workers, and improved career tracking.

The labour management agency handles around 6,500 hiring operations every day across port terminals. It also used the press conference to announce progress in the professionalisation of dock work following a 2019 decree that introduced new worker categories and expanded the use of permanent contracts.

A full census of dockworkers was reportedly conducted to align records with the country’s social security system.

Source: Ecofin Agency

(Quotes via original reporting)

In Côte d’Ivoire, the dock labour management agency, SEMPA/BMOD, has provided an update on five years of reforms and modernisation efforts focused on digitalisation, workforce management, and professional training, Ecofin Agency reports.

During a May 21 press conference at SEMPA/BMOD headquarters in Vridi, Abidjan, Secretary General Alexis N’Guessan Zoukou addressed the strategic role of the institution in the country’s port activity.

He stated that nearly 60 per cent of Côte d’Ivoire’s foreign trade passes through its ports.

“We are an organisation that ensures the 8,500 men and women working at the ports are qualified, protected, and available 24 hours a day,” he said.

One of the primary reforms reportedly involved the digitalisation of dockworker recruitment. Until 2023, daily hiring operations were still handled manually. 

“Since SEMPA was created in 1959, recruitment was carried out through open call hiring. With the introduction of the new digital system, we started a real digital transition,” Mr Zoukou said.

The Secretary General stated that workers now receive job assignments by SMS through a dedicated digital platform. In addition, electronic time clocks installed across port sites also allow automatic attendance tracking and payroll processing. 

According to SEMPA/BMOD, the transformation effort has improved transparency in hiring, strengthened fairness among workers, and improved career tracking.

The labour management agency handles around 6,500 hiring operations every day across port terminals. It also used the press conference to announce progress in the professionalisation of dock work following a 2019 decree that introduced new worker categories and expanded the use of permanent contracts.

A full census of dockworkers was reportedly conducted to align records with the country’s social security system.

Source: Ecofin Agency

(Quotes via original reporting)