Unravelling West African livestock trader networks

Natural resources, urbanisation, and population distribution create disparities in production and demand that drive a vast network of intraregional live animal trade in West Africa. It has long been argued that social capital is essential for long-distance transactions in a region where trade agreements are not fully executed and many barriers to trade exist. This paper examines the social and spatial structure of the trader networks that underpin regional trade. Using co-location social network analysis and 2013 to 2017 regional survey data from the Permanent Inter-State Committee for Drought Control in the Sahel (CILSS), it provides valuable insights into the interplay between economic factors and geographic constraints. The results reveal a fragmented and decentralised social network with border- and infrastructure-driven geographical fragmentation. They also suggest that the network relies on brokers who connect groups of traders with differentiated trade characteristics. The findings reinforce that, in the face of a regionally fragmented environment with many barriers, long-distance commodity flows rely on the social capital of traders.