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Rise in Economic Interactions in the Indian Ocean Rim : Implication for Maritime Policies in African Countrie

Journal of maritime researches

2(1)

25-46

神戸大学大学院海事科学研究科附属国際海事研究センター

2012-03

2012-12-06

The Indian Ocean was once the world’s economic gravity center and the sea of treasures. Sub-Saharan Africa was an integral part of trade networks spreading in the Indian Ocean Rim (IOR). The IOR, however, was economically marginalized after it was colonized by Western powers and the trade networks were vertically divided by them. Recently, intra-regional trades in the Indian Ocean Rim (IOR) have been rapidly increasing as if reviving the region’s past prosperity. It is due largely to extension of global supply chains among Asian countries in the region. The extension has been underpinned by development of international logistics and shipping services, notably spreads of containerization and reliable liner services. On the contrary, Africa, the poorest region in the world, has lagged behind the rapid intra-IOR trade expansion. Africa is still faced with serious underdevelopment of maritime infrastructure and human resources. Also, insecurity in the north-western part of the Indian Ocean caused by rampant piracy is another serious problem. It is expected that Japan will take initiatives to overcome these bottlenecks.

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