Boosting intra-African trade performance: the role of maritime transport

Abstract

Maritime transport significantly affects virtually all aspects of international trade globally. Following this, it becomes imperative to understand the positive influence of maritime transport in the improvement of intra-African trade performance. This paper, therefore, investigates the extent to which maritime transport boosts intra-African trade performance within the framework of the gravity model in a sample of 32 African countries for the period 2010–2018. The paper reveals that maritime transports enhance intra-African trade performance; greater access to maritime transports is associated with an increase in intra-African trade performance. Based on this outcome, it is recommended that policies that increases maritime transports are what policy makers should prioritize and pursue. JEL Codes: C33; F10; I30; O55.