Rethinking maritime privatization in Africa

This study focuses on the political economy of the maritime industry, and suggests that maritime privatization will not necessarily result in increased efficiency of the divested maritime enterprises. Rather, it argues that maritime problems in these countries have less to do with ownership than with structural constraints in world shipping together with internal management and local politics. The maritime industry in West and Central Africa is used as a case study, and recommendations such as selective privatization, "programme contract', and most importantly, corporatization, are suggested as alternative strategies that could enhance maritime privatization and the development of the maritime industry in developing countries. -from Author