Reproducibility package for Transport Accessibility And Food Price Differentials: A New Era Of Mining Development In Guinea

The paper casts light on challenges and opportunities of large-scale mining development, particularly in connection to local market integration, food security, and transport infrastructure development. Using unique road condition and food price data from Guinea, the paper applies the Law of One Price framework with iceberg transport costs and examines how intercity connectivity impacts on food price differentials among local markets. In Guinea, the Simandou 2040 Program, a major iron ore project, has increased heavy vehicle traffic in the late 2010s, deteriorating road conditions and raising transport costs, which in turn affect food price disparities across regions. The elasticity of price differentials with respect to travel time is estimated at 0.05 to 0.06. In particular, perishable commodities, such as fish, chili, and eggplants, show higher elasticity. The findings confirm the importance of well-connected intercity transportation to improve efficiency in local food markets, assure food security, and promote inclusive agriculture growth in remote areas. The evidence also indicates growth opportunities to promote agribusinesses and logistics in secondary cities because perishable commodities are found to be particularly vulnerable to intercity connectivity.