Seaport Competitiveness: A Comparative Empirical Analysis Between North And West African Countries Using Principal Component Analysis

The measurement and evaluation of seaport competitiveness is of important academic interest, as it is reflected in the increasing amount of international literature in this field. However, in the light of very limited empirical studies about port economics for Africa, this paper aims at identifying the major determinants of competitiveness of the African seaport systems. This was accomplished using Principle Component Analysis. Based on 7-year longitudinal data for 14 countries in North and West Africa, this study shows that handling costs, connectivity, capacity and the quality of port infrastructure are important in explaining port competitiveness. As expected, North African seaports were found to be more competitive than those in the West. This article provides an important literature review on port competitiveness. The empirical study can also contribute substantially to the knowledge of the African seaport systems and be useful for African port policy development and management.