Environmental quality in Africa and infrastructure development

The mediating impact of the knowledge economy

Bibliographic Data

ID12308352
AuthorsJean‐claude Kouladoum (0000-0002-4943-4227, Faculty of Economics and Management, Laboratory for Analysis and Research in Mathematical Economics University of N'Djamena N'Djamena Chad, corresponding author), Sylvaniste Etsiba (Faculty of Economics LARES, Marien Ngouabi University Brazzaville Republic of the Congo), Serge Monglengar Nandingar (Faculty of Economics and Management, Laboratory for Analysis and Research in Mathematical Economics University of N'Djamena N'Djamena Chad), Jacques Hakizimana (Faculty of Economics LARES, Marien Ngouabi University Brazzaville Republic of the Congo)
Year2024
Volume33
Issue2
Pages2696-2713
Publication date2024-11-07
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueSustainable Development (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0968-0802 • E-ISSN: 1099-1719
PublisherWiley (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1002/sd.3242
OpenAlexW4404194229
LanguageEN
Citations received2
References cited49

The study investigates the impact of infrastructure development on environmental quality and the mediating impact of the knowledge economy in 48 African economies from 2000 to 2020. The Generalized Method of Moment is adopted to control for error term‐related problems and potential endogeneity through an instrumentation process. The following findings are established: First, Infrastructure development enhances environmental sustainability in Africa, through the reduction of greenhouse gasses. Second, it contributes to reducing CO 2 emissions in liquid, solid and gaseous states of fuel consumption. These results hold after considering the infrastructure development indicators of the African Development Bank. Third, the findings further reveal that the transport, energy, water supply, and technology sectors all contribute to enhancing environmental quality. Fourth, taking into account differences in factor endowment, the findings indicate that infrastructure development helps reduce CO 2 emissions in both lowly and highly endowed African countries, except for electricity and water supply in the lowly endowed economies, indicating that the development in these sectors needed to be speeded‐up to enhance environmental quality in these countries. Fifth, the findings indicate that the knowledge economy mediates with infrastructure development to promote environmental quality through the reduction CO 2 emissions. The findings recommend policymakers promote infrastructure development for environmental efficiency in Africa. This is particularly enhanced through the mediation impact of the knowledge economy

Business · Economics · Economy · Environmental quality · Knowledge economy · Political science · Quality (philosophy · Economic Growth and Development · Energy, Environment, Economic Growth · Fiscal Policy and Economic Growth

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