Efficiency of agro-industrial SMEs in Cameroon: An estimate using the Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) method

Efficience des PME agro-industrielles au Cameroun: une estimation par la méthode Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA)

Alain Takoudjou Nimpa, Jean-Paul Tchankam and Fabrice Parfait Azebaze Kenfack
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Alain Takoudjou Nimpa: Université de Dschang
Jean-Paul Tchankam: Kedge BS - Kedge Business School, CERMES3 - UMR 8211 / U988 / UM 7 - CERMES3 - Centre de recherche Médecine, sciences, santé, santé mentale, société - EHESS - École des hautes études en sciences sociales - INSERM - Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale - CNRS - Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique - UPCité - Université Paris Cité
Fabrice Parfait Azebaze Kenfack: Ministère de la Recherche Scientifique et de l’Innovation du Cameroun

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Abstract: The objective of this study is to measure the technical efficiency of agro-industrial SMEs. The DEA method was used to estimate efficiency scores on a sample of 311 SMEs from the INS database of Cameroon. The efficiency scores obtained using the CRS and VRS technologies for the entire sample were 32.81% and 53.39% on average, respectively. These efficiency scores show that Cameroon's agro-industrial SMEs have a low level of technical efficiency. The results show that under CRS technology, the most efficient branch is forestry and logging, while under VRS technology, the best performance is achieved by the grain and starch powder manufacturing branch. The efficiency gains could have been achieved if all SMEs operated on the production frontier. To remedy this, two complementary solutions exist. One, external, is linked to the structuring of a collaboration with the managers of the non-efficient SMEs for the application of more adequate management methods; inspired by the SME benchmarks or reference groups. The other, internal, is related to the "conformity" of SMEs to the requirements of the socio-cultural environment.

Date: 2023-12-13
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Published in Management & Sciences Sociales, 2023, N° 35 (2), pp.58-73. ⟨10.3917/mss.035.0058⟩

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:hal:journl:hal-04638060

DOI: 10.3917/mss.035.0058

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