Logistics and supply chain management research in Africa. A systematic literature review and research agenda

• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1108/IJLM-09-2017-0242
• Published date: 11 February 2019
• Date: 11 February 2019
• Pages: 8-38
• Author: Jamal El Baz,Issam Laguir,Rébecca Stekelorum
• Subject Matter: Management science & operations,Logistics

Logistics and supply chain

management research in Africa

A systematic literature review and

research agenda

Jamal El Baz

Ibn Zohr University, Agadir, Morocco

Issam Laguir

Montpellier Business School, Montpellier, France, and

Rébecca Stekelorum

ICN Business School, CEREFIGE –Centre Européen de Recherche en

Economie Financiére et Gestion des Entreprises, Nancy, France

Abstract

Purpose –The purpose of this paper is to review the literature on logistics and supply chain management

(SCM) in Africa over the last few decades. It provides a comprehensive assessment of theory application

regarding the research articles published between 1994 and 2016.

Design/methodology/approach –In this structured systematic literature review, a set of 110 articles on

SCM research in Africa is assessed.

Findings –The authors present the state-of-the-art review on logistics and SCM research in Africa. Extant

literature shows that most research works focused on operational aspects of logistics and SCM and that

papers drew heavily on theories inspired by strategic management, marketing, micro/macroeconomics and

organizational behavior theories. Also, most of the papers with theoretical background can be categorized

into theory matching and theory dressing and only a minority of theoretical papers belongs to theory

suggestion category. Furthermore, based on the findings, the authors present a framework to characterize the

peculiar aspects of Africa-based SCM and logistics practices and provide research propositions related to

underexplored aspects of logistics and SCM in Africa.

Research limitations/implications –This study has a number of implications. Practitioners and

researchers will gain a greater understanding of how logistics and SCM are carried out in Africa and the type

of issues that have been addressed. Furthermore, researchers will be able to identify areas that need greater

research attention in Africa.

Originality/value –This study is one of the first literature reviews of publications on logistics and SCM in

Africa. It presents an overarching map of the research to date and a series of propositions to inform future research.

Keywords Africa, Literature review, Logistics industry

Paper type Literature review

1. Introduction

Academic and professional articles on supply chain topics have appeared in the literature since

the late 1980s (Giunipero et al., 2008). However, the supply chain management (SCM) and

logistics research debate in academic journals has been dominated by issues related to

countriesof North America,Europe and someemerging Asiancountries (Soniand Kodali, 2012;

Sachan and Datta, 2005) whereas issues regarding logistics and SCM research on Africa were

largely overlooked (Svensson et al., 2008).Consequently, thislack of evenlyspread international

representation of research data is likely to have adverse effects on current knowledge and

understanding of various phenomena within logistics management (Svensson et al., 2008).

Hence, analysis of studies carried out in Africa is needed to see how SCM and logistics of

African countries differ with regard to understanding and implementation. Doing so helps

the researchers to identify the trends in logistics development in regions such as Africa and

this can generate insights for further logistics research and to inform policy. Such endeavor

is becoming increasingly important since several African countries are becoming

The International Journal of

Logistics Management

Vol. 30 No. 1, 2019

pp. 8-38

© Emerald PublishingLimited

0957-4093

DOI 10.1108/IJLM-09-2017-0242

Received 20 September 2017

Revised 22 March 2018

23 June 2018

Accepted 25 July 2018

The current issue and full text archive of this journal is available on Emerald Insight at:

www.emeraldinsight.com/0957-4093.htm

8

IJLM

30,1

outsourcing hubs for global supply chains of apparel, automobile and electronic consumer

goods (African Economic Outlook, 2015; Acha et al., 2010).

From the economic perspective, Africa is one of the most dynamic regions in the world

(The World Bank,2017; Berman, 2013). An analysis by The Economist (2011, 2016) highlights

the potential of the African continent by showing that six of the world’s ten fastest-growing

economies arein Sub-Saharan Africa. Moreover,Africa’s economy has expandedby 3 percent

in 2017 and is expected to grow up to 3.7 percent in 2018 (African Development Bank, 2018;

The World Bank, 2018). African countries have endured endless difficulties and instabilities

due to political, social and technological changes, but economic reforms have resulted in

access to low-cost capital, direct foreign investments and the development of entrepreneurial

ventures in recentyears (GEM, 2015). These events have positively influenced many African

countries,facilitating the expansion of theirmarkets and improving their attractiveness in the

global marketplace (African Economic Outlook, 2015).

Several scholarly papers have focused on logistics and SCM in African countries from

either a conceptual or an empirical perspective over the past decades. Such research works

have generated insights that contribute to logistics and SCM knowledge and help illustrate

the specific characteristics of the African countries including the political, social and cultural

environment. Nevertheless, an extensive search of the literature revealed that no

comprehensive bibliography on logistics and SCM in Africa has yet been compiled.

The goals of this research are to characterize the published research on logistics and

SCM in Africa, identify gaps in the literature and provide directions for further research.

Our research questions can be summarized as follows:

RQ1. How have theoretical lenses been used in logistics and SCM research in Africa?

RQ2. How has the research contributed to our understanding of the logistics and SCM

issues in African countries?

Therefore, this paper makes several contributions. First, it targets research on African

countries, and therefore enriches the discussion about logistics and SCM in the context of

developing countries. Second, it presents a new perspective on logistics and SCM research

by examining specificities of the African context (such as political conditions, logistics

infrastructure, institutional aspects, etc.) regarding the implementation of SCM practices.

Third, it provides an evaluation of theoretical perspectives on SCM research based in

African countries through a state-of-the-art review. For practitioners and decision makers,

our research offers a comprehensive view of these practices on the continent. Finally, our

paper proposes an overarching map of logistics and SCM research in African countries in

order to guide future research through a series of propositions.

The paper is organized as follows: Section 2 describes the methodology used to search

for and select articles from the literature. Section 3 classifies and reviews the literature using

basic statistics about the articles, journals and countries presented in the review. Sections 4

and 5 present a discussion of the main findings and the future Africa-based SCM research

directions. Finally, Section 6 presents the research conclusions.

2. Methodology

This paperis based on a systematic review of 110 articlesidentified in relevant journalsacross

the fields of logisticsand SCM. The systematic literaturereview methodology, as describedby

authors such as Tranfieldet al. (2003) and Denyer and Tranfield(2009), was used to construct

a database of articles that were evaluated in terms of their ability to provide insight into our

research questions. Conductinga systematic literature review is a comprehensive approachto

map out the theoretical perspectives and practices prevailing in the field (Storey et al., 2006).

A structured literature review differs from a more narrative review because of its

methodical approach, implying a detailed description of the steps taken to select, scan and

9

Logistics and

SCM research

in Africa