Inter-firm learning and local participation in emerging African oil nations

The paper focuses on collaboration experiences and preferences regarding collaborative programs to improve competitiveness, and follows an explorative study design. The study is based on a survey of 110 Tanzanian companies targeting the emerging oil and gas industry located in rural and urban locations. The major finding is that only 15 percent collaborate, or have previously collaborated, with two or more firms. A cluster analysis revealed that “open firms” are also more positive to contribute in improvement programs. Close to one-third of the firms are unwilling to contribute financially, and a majority of the firms are willing to spend 15 days or less, which is assumed to be far below the minimum for an effective inter-firm improvement program. The paper contributes to a limited number of empirical studies focusing on African suppliers meeting international sourcing requirements in the host country.