Research ArticleOpen AccessGoogle Scholar indexed
Technology, Skills and Business Productivity: An Empirical Analysis in Côte d’Ivoire
Faculty of Economics and Management, Felix Houphouët Boigny University, Abidjan, Cote d’Ivoire
Cellule d’Analyse de Politiques Économiques du CIRES (CAPEC), Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire
- 1 Faculty of Economics and Management, Felix Houphouët Boigny University, Abidjan, Cote d’Ivoire
- 2 Cellule d’Analyse de Politiques Économiques du CIRES (CAPEC), Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire
American Journal of Industrial and Business Management·Volume 15 (2025)·Pages 1112–1124·Published 8 August 2025·DOI10.4236/ajibm.2025.158055
Copy link · social · email
Abstract
This article investigates the impact of investments in information and communication technologies (ICT) and human capital on productivity of firms in Côte d’Ivoire. Using panel data from the BDF 2013 database covering 2001-2012 and employing various econometric approaches (OLS, fixed effects, random effects, dynamic GMM), the findings reveal that both ICT and training expenditures significantly and positively influence labor productivity. The synergy between these two types of investments is particularly strong, highlighting the need for integrated policies that promote digitalization and continuous training. The study concludes with policy recommendations tailored to the structural features of different sectors.
KeywordsICTHuman CapitalProductivityFirmsPanel DataCôte d’Ivoire
- Arellano, M., & Bover, O. (1995). Another Look at the Instrumental Variable Estimation of Error-Components Models. Journal of Econometrics, 68, 29-51. https://doi.org/10.1016/0304-4076(94)01642-d
- Ashton, D., Green, F., Sung, J., & James, D. (1996). Education and Training for Development in East Asia: The Political Economy of Skill Formation in Newly Industrialised Economies . Routledge.
- Barro, R. J. (1991). Economic Growth in a Cross Section of Countries. The Quarterly Journal of Economics, 106, 407-443. https://doi.org/10.2307/2937943
- Becker, G. S. (1964). Human Capital: A Theoretical and Empirical Analysis, with Special Reference to Education . University of Chicago Press.
- Biggs, T. (1995). A Survey of Enterprise Development in Sub-Saharan Africa . Regional Program on Enterprise Development, The World Bank.
- Blundell, R., & Bond, S. (1998). Initial Conditions and Moment Restrictions in Dynamic Panel Data Models. Journal of Econometrics, 87, 115-143. https://doi.org/10.1016/s0304-4076(98)00009-8
- Brynjolfsson, E., & Hitt, L. M. (1994). Paradox Lost? Firm-Level Evidence on Returns to Information Systems Spending. Management Science, 40, 1628-1648.
- Brynjolfsson, E., & McAfee, A. (2014). The Second Machine Age: Work, Progress and Prosperity in a Time of Brilliant Technologies . W.W. Norton & Company.
- CGECI (2011). Rapport sur l’état du secteur privé en Côte d’Ivoire . Confédération Générale des Entreprises de Côte d’Ivoire.
- Choudhury, P., & Wu, A. (2021). Remote Work and the Productivity of Firms. Academy of Management Discoveries, 7, 612-620.
- Cirillo, V., Guarascio, D., & Pianta, M. (2023). Skills, Innovation and Productivity: A Microeconometric Analysis. Industrial and Corporate Change, 32, 87-108.
- CNUCED/ONUDI (2011). Rapport sur le développement industriel en Afrique. Conférence des Nations Unies sur le Commerce et le Développement et Organisation des Nations Unies pour le Développement Industriel .
- Gnansounou, S. (2010). TIC et performance des entreprises africaines: Une étude empirique. Revue Africaine de Développement, 22, 75-98.
- Guesmi, B., & Gil, J. M. (2022). The Impact of Public R&D Investments on Agricultural Productivity. Review of Economics and Finance, 19, 284-291. https://doi.org/10.55365/1923.x2021.19.29