Is clean energy prosperity and technological innovation rapidly mitigating sustainable energy-development deficit in selected sub-Saharan Africa? A myth or reality

Abstract

United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UN-SDGs) such as access to clean energy (SDG-7), responsible energy consumption (SDG-12) and sustainable economic growth revolves around the subject of human development that resonates with (SDG-8), and among others. Based on these highlights, this study examines sustainable development for the panel of selected Sub-Sahara African countries that are largely plagued with huge energy deficit (energy poverty) and setback in technological innovation. This study leverages on panel econometrics strategies to explore the hypothesized relationship between the outlined indicators for the period 2000–2016 in Sub-Saharan African countries. Empirical results show that human development index (HDI), economic expansion, access to clean energy. and technological innovation exhibits long-run equilibrium relationship. Subsequently, the finding revealed that economic expansion, access to energy and technological innovation in the sampled countries spur higher HDI indices. That is, a 1% increase in economic growth increases HDI by 0.040% and 0.017% in the short and long run respectively. Thus, we can infer that enhanced sustainable economic growth leads to higher HDI indices which encompases higher literacy rate, better income level and increase life expectancy in both short and long run. In contrary, access to clean energy in the selected blocs dampens HDI index in the short run but the effect is statistically positive (desirable) in the long run.