Monica Beuran

Why does cargo spend weeks in Sub-Saharan African Ports? Lessons from six countries

This study is timely because several investments are planned for container terminals in Sub-Saharan Africa. From a public policy perspective, disentangling the reasons behind cargo delays in ports is crucial to understanding:a) whether projects by the World Bank and other donors have addressed the most salient problems; and b) whether institutional port reform and infrastructure, sometimes complemented by customs reform, are the most appropriate approaches or should be adapted. Without such identification and quantification, projects may ultimately result in a limited impact, and structural problems of long delays will remain. Dwell time figures are a major commercial instrument used to attract cargo and generate revenues. Therefore, the incentives for a port authority and a container terminal operator are increasingly strong to lower the real figure to attract more cargo. At the same time, ports are more and more in competition, so the question of how to obtain independently verifiable dwell time data is increasingly critical to provide assurance that interventions are indeed having the intended effect.

Political Economy Studies : Are They Actionable? Some Lessons from Zambia

In recent years, the number of studies looking at the effect of politics on economic outcomes has flourished. For developing economies, these studies are useful to better understand why long overdue reforms are not implemented. The studies analyze the overall context within which reforms are being implemented and the underlying incentive framework. However, it seems difficult to make such studies actionable, especially in sectors where donors have a heavy presence that can sometimes distort incentives in addition to the reluctance from some governments to amend the existing systems in place. This paper focuses on some conclusions emerging from the political economy diagnostics carried out in Zambia in various sectors in recent years. Based on interviews of World Bank task managers, the paper attempts to assess the relevance of these studies for the implementation of projects and the policy dialogue and draws lessons on how they have influenced the implementation of the World Banks support to programs in various sectors in Zambia as well as the main challenges for this type of exercise.

Does the semi-autonomous agency model function in a low-governance environment ? the case of the road development agency in Zambia

This paper uses Zambia as a case study to assess empirically whether political interference in a low-governance environment has diminished in the past years as expected after a semi-autonomous agency model was set up ten years ago. The road sector in Zambia has experienced some significant developments since then. The paper uses data on contract from 2008 to 2011 and analyses a number of key trends related to Road Development Agency governance and staffing dynamics as well as procurement and project selection within the institution. The main findings indicate that, after some years of implementation of these reforms, there is reason to question whether the model of semi-autonomous agency enables road management to be shielded from political interference. Zambia may be an isolated case but, so far, this model does not seem to have been able to decrease political interference in the selection or supervision of projects and there seems to have been an increased lack of accountability of civil servants working in this sector.

Literature Findings and Methodological Considerations

This chapter presents both findings from the literature and methodological considerations from a worldwide perspective. Despite the paucity of research in this field for Sub-Saharan Africa, the findings from other countries are relevant to countries in the region. However, as demonstrated in this report, some specificities in Sub-Saharan Africa, such as abnormally long cargo dwell times, the dominance of the general trading model, a lack of competition in some sectors of the economy, and the importance of cash constraints, may weaken the incentive to move goods rapidly through the port.

The Impact of Demand on Container Dwell Time

The case studies and shipment-level analysis of dwell time presented in chapter 3 show that long dwell times (which account for a large share of containers in terminals) are one of the key issues that need to be addressed (probably across the continent) and are related mostly to factors under the control of shippers. This confirms one of the initial hypotheses of this work, which is that the behaviors and strategies of shippers have an impact on dwell time in ports. The demand by importers for port dwell time beyond the time required to complete port operations and transactions seems to be related mainly to inventory management and the “business model” used (including the extent of informal practices). Due to the fact that demand from importers seems to explain a large part of long-dwell cargo, in this chapter we present theoretical foundations explaining current demand in Sub-Saharan Africa and then present some statistical analysis, based mainly on firm surveys.1

Improving Aid Effectiveness in Aid-Dependent Countries: Lessons from Zambia

Zambia was a middle-income country when it achieved independence from Great Britain in 1964. After decades of international aid Zambia has become a low-income country, and its per capita GDP is only now returning to the levels it had reached over forty years ago. While aid is far from the only variable at work in Zambia’s development, its impact has been questionable. This paper examines the issue of aid effectiveness in Zambia, especially in terms of how the incentive structure faced by donors may lead to decreased accountability and inadequate concern for long-term outcomes, rendering aid less beneficial. The paper concludes by proposing a revised approach to the provision and use of international aid in Zambia, as well as in other aid-dependent countries in Sub-Saharan Africa.