The Effects of Global Value Chain Participation on Current Account Balances in African Economies: Does it Matter Being a Landlocked Country?: An Empirical Review

The general objective of this paper is to evaluate the effects of Global Value Chain Participation (GVCP) on Current Account Balance (CAB) in African countries. The specific objectives are to (1) identify the type of GVCP that contributes more significantly and positively to African countries’ current account balance and (2) find out whether being landlocked affects a country’s participation in global value chain in Africa. This paper uses panel data from three secondary sources: (1) UNCTAD-EORA database (2018) for forward and backward participation indicators, (2) WDI (2018) for current account balance, FDI, population and trade openness and (3) PWT 9.1 for exchange rates. In a linear panel specification, this research applies the Feasible Generalized Least Square (FGLS) econometric techniques and results highlight firstly that forward GVCP contributes more significantly and positively to CAB in Africa with a coefficient ranging between 1.64 and 2.43 in various regressions. Secondly, the effect of GVCP on CAB is reduced in landlocked African countries as revealed in its negative and significant coefficient of -2.33 as the variables are interacted. This paper recommends that, African countries should embark on forward participation and improve connectivity infrastructure to facilitate the participation of landlocked African economies in global interactions.