The Effect of Green Logistics on Economic Growth in Sub-Saharan Africa

다국어 초록 (Multilingual Abstract)

The logistics sector not only contributes to economic development but also plays a significant role in influencing environmental quality. However, embracing green logistics practices can mitigate negative environmental impacts while bringing about cost savings, energy efficiency, and enhanced competitiveness. While a few studies have investigated the impact of green logistics on economic development, most focus on developed countries. Research concerning developing countries remains limited. Consequently, this research delves into the impact of green logistics on economic growth in Sub-Saharan Africa, examining ten countries which the substantial portion of their GDP growth attributed to the evolution of travel and transportation logistics over the past three decades- South Africa, Ivory Coast, Kenya, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Togo, Senegal, Ghana, Nigeria, and the Congo Republic - from 1990 to 2019. Utilizing the Panel Autoregressive Distributed Lag (PARDL) model, we assessed both short-term and long-term effects, incorporating control variables like foreign direct investment, trade openness, industrialization, and financial development. Our findings indicate a positive link between green logistics, industrialization, and economic growth, alongside foreign direct investment. Conversely, financial development seemed to negatively impact economic growth, while trade openness showed no significant effect. These findings are instrumental in developing targeted green logistics policies for the Sub-Saharan African region. African governments should encourage the business community to embrace eco-friendly logistics through incentives such as subsidies, tax benefits, and specialized training programs. Yet, proactive engagement from private corporations is also required. These entities should invest in technologies, machinery, and equipment that are not only efficient but also environmentally considerate.