Determination of Key Factors Affecting Transient Seaport Selection for Landlocked Countries in African Continent

Abstract

Many countries around the world suffer from the lack of a sea port directly linked to the rest of the world. Such countries are called "landlocked countries". This leads to Weak competitiveness of their products in the global market, as well as to the high cost of the imports. Africa has the largest share of these countries, with 16 of the 43 landlocked countries around the world. The aim of this paper is to propose a general framework for criteria that can be used to choose between ports in transit countries that can be used for import or export. These criteria are related to the assessment of the sea ports in terms of infrastructure and tariffs. It is also related to transport infrastructure from the transit country to the landlocked country and the level of safety. The study identified nine criteria that could be used to compare between ports in transit countries. Using Full Consistency Method (FUCOM) to evaluate those criteria showed that the number of navigation lines is the most important criteria followed by the port service level.

Evaluating Free Zone Industrial Plant Proposals Using a Combined Full Consistency Method-Grey-CoCoSo Model

“…Given the contemporary global economic shifts observed worldwide, globalization has become a pervasive phenomenon across various domains, particularly in economic activities, communication systems, and transportation [2,6,7]. This has eliminated numerous regional and national barriers, facilitating closer connections between destinations and removing obstacles that may have impeded economic collaborations and mutual benefits.…”

“…Consequently, there is a proposal to revive Libya as a crucial hub for fostering domestic, regional, and transcontinental commerce among Mediterranean countries and other global entities through maritime channels and overland pathways traversing the South Sahara region into Africa. The delay in implementing this measure can be attributed to a multitude of factors at the local, regional, and international levels, including conflicting political and economic interests [2,6,7].…”

“…The primary endeavor of significance was the determination to establish free trade zones, leveraging Libya's abundant capabilities, particularly its noteworthy natural resources and strategic geographical location, which renders it suitable for the construction of multiple free trade zones. This phenomenon can be attributed to the economic changes that have occurred in Libya, as well as its neighboring regions and the international community, particularly in relation to African nations and the European continent [5][6][7]. The aim of this research is to evaluate the industries that can be invested in the Misurata Free Zone using multi-criteria decision-making methods.…”