From Toronto to West Africa.
Full container ocean freight from Ontario to Ghana, Nigeria, Togo, Côte d'Ivoire, Senegal and Benin. We quote it, book it and file your Canadian export declaration. Below are the main ports and the papers each country asks for.
This page is for businesses shipping commercial freight. We do not ship personal effects, barrels or vehicles.
Explore the service details
Setara Logistics is a freight forwarder in Vaughan, Ontario that quotes and arranges full container ocean freight from Ontario to West Africa: Tema in Ghana, Lagos in Nigeria, Lomé, Abidjan, Dakar and Cotonou. We book space with the ocean line, file the CERS export declaration, line up the GTA trucking with Setara Transport and coordinate the shipping documents. Your buyer clears the goods at the destination port.
This page is for businesses shipping commercial freight from Ontario to West Africa: how the container travels, what you file in Canada, and what each destination asks for.
How a container gets from Ontario to West Africa
The ocean line sets the routing. From the GTA, an export container usually starts at a rail ramp, CN Brampton or CPKC Vaughan, and rides the train to an East Coast port such as Montreal. It then crosses the Atlantic, and it may call at a transshipment port before it reaches the West African port.
We quote the lane and arrange the Canadian side: the booking, the empty container, the export declaration and the documents. Setara Transport handles the trucking in the GTA, from the ramp to your dock and back. Your buyer clears the goods at the destination port.
What does each country ask for?
Ghana: Tema and Takoradi
Ghana has announced a cargo tracking note, the Smart Port Note, but postponed its start. It was not in force when we last checked, in October 2026. Check the current rule at booking.
Request a quote to GhanaNigeria: Lagos and Onne
Your buyer opens a Form M through their bank before the goods ship, and will tell you which Form M details go on the documents. Products regulated by the Standards Organisation of Nigeria need a SONCAP certificate, issued before the goods leave Canada. Nigeria plans a cargo tracking note (ICTN); it was not in force at our last check.
Request a quote to NigeriaTogo: Lomé
Togo requires a BESC, an electronic cargo tracking note, for cargo shipped to Lomé. Arrange it before the ship sails.
Request a quote to TogoCôte d'Ivoire: Abidjan
Côte d'Ivoire uses the BSC, run by the Office Ivoirien des Chargeurs. Customs uses it to accept the import file, so plan it with the shipping documents.
Request a quote to Côte d'IvoireSenegal: Dakar
Senegal requires a BSC from the Conseil sénégalais des chargeurs (COSEC) for sea cargo to Dakar, and the number goes on the bill of lading. Your buyer may also need import paperwork filed before the goods ship.
Request a quote to SenegalBenin: Cotonou
Benin requires a BESC for cargo landed at Cotonou. Plan it with the shipping documents, before the ship sails.
Request a quote to BeninA cargo tracking note is an electronic certificate set up by the destination country and tied to each bill of lading. The number usually has to appear on the bill of lading and the cargo manifest, so it is arranged with the shipping documents, around the time the ship sails. Fees, deadlines and issuers differ by country and change, so check the current rule at booking. In every country, your buyer should confirm the goods can be imported and which permits they need.
What happens between booking and sailing?
01Book
We book space with the ocean line. The booking sets the dates: when the empty container is released, when the loaded one must be back, and the document cut-off.
02Load
Setara Transport brings the empty container from the ramp or depot to your dock. You load it and seal it.
03File
We file the export declaration in CERS and send the line the bill of lading instructions and your signed VGM. Where the country requires one, the cargo tracking note number goes on the bill of lading.
04Sail
The loaded container goes back to the ramp before the cut-off, rides the train to the port and sails. The line then issues the bill of lading.
The ocean line sets the dates, and it can change them. The cut-off at an inland ramp comes days before the ship sails, so plan the load early.
Filing in Canada before the ship sails
Commercial goods worth CAD $2,000 or more, and any goods that need an export permit, need a CBSA export declaration before they leave for West Africa. For ocean freight it is due at least 48 hours before the container is loaded on the ship, and we file it for you. See ocean exports from Ontario for how export declarations work, the VGM and the line's cut-offs.
The destination papers have their own timing. Where a country requires a cargo tracking note, the number usually has to go on the bill of lading, and a Nigerian buyer opens the Form M before the goods ship. Start both as soon as you book.
What will it cost, and how long will it take?
What drives cost and transit time
We do not publish rates or transit times to West Africa. These move both:
- Where the container loads, and which ramp it uses
- The ocean line's routing and any transshipment
- Container size and weight
- Season and space on the ship
- How early the documents and the tracking note are ready
- Permits your buyer needs at destination
What to send for a quote
Send us these and we come back with a quote for your booking:
- Where the container loads: town or address
- The destination country and port
- What the goods are, with the HS code if you have it
- Container size and how many
- Weight per container
- The cargo ready date
- The Incoterm you are selling on
Not a full container? Ask about LCL or air freight. Whether a shared container service runs to your port depends on the destination, and we check it when we quote.
Shipping to West Africa FAQ.
Can you ship a container from Toronto to Ghana or Nigeria?
Yes. Setara Logistics, a freight forwarder in Vaughan, Ontario, quotes and arranges full container ocean freight from Ontario to West African ports, including Tema in Ghana and Lagos in Nigeria. We book space with the ocean line and file the Canadian export declaration, and Setara Transport handles the trucking in the GTA.
Do you ship personal effects, barrels or vehicles?
No. This page is for businesses shipping commercial freight. We do not ship personal effects, barrels or vehicles. We ship to the destination port only, where your buyer clears and collects the goods.
What is an ECTN, BESC or BSC?
A cargo tracking note: an electronic certificate the destination country requires, tied to each bill of lading. Togo and Benin call it a BESC, and Côte d'Ivoire and Senegal use a BSC. The number usually goes on the bill of lading, so it has to be arranged before the ship sails. Ghana and Nigeria have announced their own, but neither was in force at our last check, in October 2026.
What does my Nigerian buyer need before I ship?
A Form M, opened through their bank before the goods ship. Products regulated by the Standards Organisation of Nigeria also need a SONCAP certificate, issued before the goods leave Canada. Once the goods ship, the buyer's bank gets a Pre-Arrival Assessment Report (PAAR) from Nigeria Customs using the final invoice, packing list and bill of lading, so send those quickly.
Do I need a Canadian export declaration to ship to West Africa?
Yes, if the commercial goods are worth CAD $2,000 or more, or if they need an export permit. For ocean freight it is due at least 48 hours before the container is loaded, and we file it for you under your business number. Our page on ocean exports from Ontario explains the rules.
What is a VGM, and who provides it?
The verified gross mass: the total weight of the loaded container. The shipper provides it. You weigh the packed container on certified scales, or weigh all the cargo and packing and add the container's tare weight, then sign it. The ocean line needs it before the container can be loaded.
Which Incoterm should I sell on?
To control the shipping, sell on a term where you book the ocean freight, such as CFR or CIF to a named West African port. We can quote that freight. Under FCA or FOB, your buyer books the main freight, and you still clear the goods for export. The ICC encourages FCA instead of EXW when goods cross a border. See Incoterms 2020 explained.
How long does shipping to West Africa take?
It depends on the routing: the ramp and the rail leg, the sailing, any transshipment and the cut-offs. We do not publish a generic transit time. When we quote, you get the schedule for your booking.
Related services, guides and tools.
Selling to a buyer in West Africa?
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