Title: Identifying challenges plaguing Ethiopia's logistics industry: a structured literature review

Authors: Hafiz Wasim Akram

Addresses: Department of Marketing and Entrepreneurship, College of Commerce and Business Administration, Dhofar University, Salalah, Oman

Abstract: The backbone of a country's trade interactions with the rest of the world is its efficient logistics performance. This paper reviews the literature on Ethiopia's logistics industry to assess its current state, pinpoint its knowledge gaps, and suggest a framework for addressing the issues faced by this industry. This work examines 56 academic articles on the topic of problems facing Ethiopia's logistics industry published in various journals between 2001 and 2022. Research publications were selected from three databases: Scopus, Web of Science, and Dimensions. Besides, pertinent literature from other sources, such as the World Bank, was also incorporated in the study for a better critical analysis. The study has attempted to shed light on the problems being faced by Ethiopia's logistics industry and the resulting repercussions. Based on the comprehensive literature review, the paper has enumerated a few broad challenges, the resolution of which is expected to bring about a positive change in Ethiopia's international trade.

Keywords: logistics; logistical problems; logistics industry; challenges; Ethiopia.

DOI: 10.1504/IJLSM.2025.147538

International Journal of Logistics Systems and Management, 2025 Vol.51 No.3, pp.297 - 313

Received: 15 Dec 2022
Accepted: 02 Jan 2023
Published online: 21 Jul 2025 *

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