Global economic competition is leading companies to improve their competitiveness by increasing production and eliminating the main obstacles to the process of making products available. This approach concerns both SMEs and SMIs as well as multinationals. Thus, the Compagnie Minière de l’Ogooué (COMILOG), a subsidiary of the French group ERAMET, which until recently had a monopoly on manganese mining in Gabon, must now face competition from Asian operators. To export its ore, COMILOG must first transport it by rail for nearly 650 km, from the Moanda site (south-east of the country) to the port of Owendo. However, port operations, which until then took place exclusively during the day, limited the company’s export capacities and the profits made, while increasing the stopover time of ships and their operating costs. To remedy this, the French company introduced nighttime docking and departures. This work addresses the challenges of the performance of port operations at the Owendo ore terminal and the security and natural risks of night manoeuvres. The general objective of the study is to assess the impact of these night services on ship traffic, on the one hand, and to identify the related socio-economic and security issues, on the other hand. Data collection was carried out using documentary research in libraries and research centres, consultation of websites, semi-directed interviews, questionnaire surveys and participatory observation. The sample of 50 people surveyed took into account management staff, supervisors and line managers, integrating the diversity of actors involved in the processing of ships calling at the port of Owendo. Finally, the surveys attest to a clear reduction in the time spent by ships at the Owendo Ore Port and an increase in their number calling. They also confirm the improvement in tonnages embarked and the improvement in turnover achieved by COMILOG. This study led to the conclusion that the introduction of night manoeuvres at the port of Owendo allowed COMILOG to increase its exports and the number of ore carriers received in stopover and then improve its turnover.

This study examined socio-economic factors affecting Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSME) e-commerce adoption, focusing on gender, income, and education. Using the 2022 National Socio-Economic Survey (Susenas) data, a logistic regression model was employed to analyze key determinants of e-commerce utilization. Additionally, an online survey of 550 MSMEs across 29 provinces was conducted to assess the impact of digitalization on business performance. In comparison, an offline study of 42 MSMEs with low digital adoption provided insights into the barriers hindering digital transformation. A natural experiment was conducted to evaluate the effectiveness of behavioral interventions in promoting the adoption of e-payments and e-commerce. The main contribution of this study lies in integrating large-scale national survey data with experimental approaches to provide a deeper understanding of digital adoption among MSMEs. Unlike previous studies focusing solely on socio-economic determinants, this research incorporated a digital nudging experiment to examine how targeted incentives influenced e-commerce participation. The findings revealed that digital transformation significantly enhanced MSME performance, particularly in turnover, product volume, customer base, and worker productivity. Socio-economic factors such as gender, household head status, and social media access significantly influenced digital adoption decisions. Behavioral nudging proved effective in increasing MSME participation in e-commerce. Although this study was limited to Susenas 2022 data and survey responses, it bridges a critical research gap by linking socio-economic factors with behavioral interventions in MSME digitalization. The findings offer key insights for policymakers in formulating evidence-based strategies to drive MSME digital transformation and e-commerce growth in Indonesia.

The importance of tourism to nations’ socioeconomic development cannot be overemphasised as it has proven to be a significant source of revenue for many countries globally. However, sub-Saharan nations like Nigeria have not tapped into the unlimited potential of tourism in their development drive, hence the continuous grappling with underdevelopment challenges. This study examines how tourism impacts socioeconomic growth in Nigeria, focusing on well-known tourist destinations in Lagos State, Nigeria. The study adopts quantitative and qualitative mixed-method research using survey questionnaires and in-depth interviews to elicit responses from visitors at the tourist centres and the tourists’ operations. Data were analysed using simple percentages of frequency distribution tables and thematic analysis. The Neo-liberal theory was adopted as a theoretical framework for the study. The findings highlight the need for better infrastructure, security measures, destination awareness, better housing, financial help, the development of a competent workforce, solid governmental policies, the conservation of cultural and natural assets, and encouragement of collaboration. Future studies may focus primarily on three areas: the evaluation of tourism’s economic impacts, the effectiveness of specific tourist development programs, and the role of tourism in community empowerment.