The objective of this research is to assess the relevance of trade dynamics in moderating the effect of foreign investment on productivity dynamics in Sub-Saharan Africa. The study is tailored within the context of a simultaneous hypothesis such that foreign direct investment (FDI) is complemented with dynamics of trade to influence productivity. Accordingly, it is an improved framing of the Rajan and Zingales (2003) position that concurrent opening of trade and capital accounts will lead to greater output in a domestic economy. Moreover, the problem statement underlying this exposition is motivated within the broader context of: (i) debates in the contemporary literature on the relevance of total factor productivity (TFP) and (ii) gaps in the attendant literature. These motivational elements are expanded in the following passages. First, no consensus is apparent in the literature on the relevance of productivity in development outcomes in Africa. In essence, while a strand of studies posits that aggregate productivity is essential in boosting economic development, authors are still divided on the mechanisms through which productivity can be boosted (