The Impact of Imports on Exports: Evidence of the Cemac Zone

Abstract

Even before their independence, the States of the CEMAC zone have always been led to exchange goods and services with other countries. CEMAC members countries have therefore been practicing international trade for decades. This paper investigates the link between import and export which are the two main components of international trade. This study based on countries in the CEMAC zone covering the period from 2005 to 2021 will use linear regression to determine how imports affect exports in Central Africa. From this empirical analysis, it emerges that imports have a positive and significant impact on exports for the countries of the CEMAC zone. This is surely by the mechanism that imports will boost economic growth which in turn will increase exports. The heteroskedasticity tests carried out after the regressions inform us about the absence of heteroskedasticity