Projekt

International trade is one of the most important ingredients of economic prosperity of countries. This has become essential given that no country, developed or developing, can fully thrive without the support of other countries. In addition, most countries especially those in the developing world, generate a significant portion of their revenue in close association with international trade. It is therefore not surprising that many developing countries especially those in Africa have in recent years embarked upon several efforts to liberalize their trade regime. No wonder that, when it comes to the transfer of goods and services across borders, a key point in its facilitation is the efficiency of seaports. It is therefore surprising that, most of the seaports in African countries are considered to be inefficient. This notwithstanding, little research has been conducted on these seaports to investigate the factors behind this inefficient outcome. This project therefore tries to fill a major research gap by examining the level and determinants of efficiency of African seaports with a focus on ECOWAS countries. In this respect, the project has three broad objectives; (i) to provide empirical analysis of the level of efficiency (technical and financial) and productivity growth of ECOWAS seaports, (ii) to examine the determinants of efficiency (technical and financial) and productivity growth of ECOWAS seaports, and (iii) to unveil the main determinants for choosing across seaports in ECOWAS countries. With this aim, the project hopes to add to the existing empirical literature on seaport outcomes in ECOWAS countries; no doubt, this would help stakeholders on designing policies that would improve them.

• Dr. Stefan Schmid

  Universität Frankfurt am Main
  Zentrum für interdisziplinäre
  Afrikaforschung (ZIAF)
  Campus Westend
  Frankfurt am Main
  

• Prof. Dr. Daniel Sakyi

  Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and
  Technology
  Department of Economics
  Kumasi
  Ghana
  

• A terminal level analysis of service quality at Nigerian seaports

• A comparative analysis of service quality among ECOWAS seaports

• Seaports Efficiency and the Trade Balance in Africa