Agglomeration dynamics and firm typologies in African port-industrial clusters: Evidence from the port of Tema, Ghana

Firm-level behaviour within port-industrial clusters shapes regional competitiveness, yet empirical evidence from Sub-Saharan Africa remains scarce. This study analyses how firms within the Port of Tema industrial cluster in Ghana engage with collaboration, resource access, and innovation dynamics, applying evolutionary, institutional, and network-relational perspectives. A cross-sectional survey of 278 firms within a 10-km radius of the port was analysed using K-means clustering and validated through ANOVA and Chi-square tests. Four firm typologies were identified: Collaborative Integrators, who leverage cooperation to achieve superior market and financial access; Dynamic Coopetitors, balancing competitive and cooperative ties; Competitive Innovators, maintaining selective engagement; and Isolated Peripherals, largely excluded from cluster networks. Findings reveal that relational and institutional proximity, rather than physical infrastructure, are the primary differentiators of firm performance within the cluster. The results challenge infrastructure-centric development paradigms, suggesting that once a baseline capacity is reached, competitiveness depends on trust-based collaboration and inclusive governance. The study extends port-cluster theory into an African context and highlights the need for policy frameworks that strengthen inter-firm coordination, social capital, and financial inclusion to unlock cluster potential.