The global competitiveness of West African cashew exporters

Baseedy Bojang and Alieu Gibba

Abstract: This research applies the comparative advantage principles by using Balassa indices for West African cashew trade (based on the top 10 largest producers) data for the period 2008 to 2017. The analyses examined the competiveness of cashew in global trade, paying special attention to its duration and stability by analyzing the changes in the RSCA indices between 2008 and 2017. The findings reveal that Benin, Burkina Faso, Cote d’Ivoire, Gambia, Ghana. Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Mali, Nigeria, and Senegal accounted for a remarkable trade surplus, as well as improve export competitiveness In addition; all of the top 10 West African cashew exporters in the authors’ sample [with the exception of Senegal had a competitive advantage in the world market. Furthermore, as shown by the distribution of comparative advantage indices, the stability tests of lagged indices and the Kaplan-Meier survival estimate, these advantages have been strengthened, showing stable comparative advantages over time. The validity of the paper is that it applies the comparative advantage theory to the top cashew exporters in West Africa. The paper also provides important contributions to cashew literature by examining the duration and stability of the comparative advantages in global cashew trade, which could be of interest to the cashew industry.

Keywords: Balassa indices; cashew industry; comparative advantage; West Africa

Date published: 2021-12-15