Environmental Quality, Infant Morality, and Economic Growth in Selected Sub‑Saharan African Countries

Busayo Aderounmu; Adedoyin Awofiranye; Olubusayo Emmanuel Oni

doi:10.18778/1508-2008.26.17

Authors

Busayo Aderounmu Ph.D., Department of Economics and Development Studies, Covenant University, Ota, Nigeria Centre for Economic Policy and Development Research (CEPDeR), Covenant University, Ota, Nigeria https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8652-394X
Adedoyin Awofiranye Department of Economics and Development Studies, Covenant University, Ota, Nigeria
Olubusayo Emmanuel Oni University of Lagos, Akoka, Lagos

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.18778/1508-2008.26.17

Keywords:

Environmental quality, infant mortality, economic growth, sub‑Saharan African

Abstract

Beyond the usual macroeconomic stability, which is a necessity for economic growth, more focus should be placed on the effects that environmental quality has on infant mortality in sub‑Saharan Africa. Africa has always had the highest rate of infant mortality and the poorest environmental quality in the world. High infant mortality shows that there are unmet human needs and unenforced policies to protect the environment. Therefore, this research examines the impact of environmental quality on infant mortality and how environmental quality and infant mortality also affect economic growth using 15 selected sub‑Saharan African countries for a period of 10 years (2010–2019). The study employed fixed and random effects methods of estimation. The results showed that environmental quality has a significant negative (51.53%) impact on infant mortality and that economic growth also has a negative (45.58%) impact on infant mortality. The study recommends that governments should increase expenditure on health, with more focus on financing infant healthcare, because it also affects economic growth.

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

References

Adeleye, B.N., Olohunlana, A.O., Ibukun, C.O., Soremi, T., Suleiman, B. (2022), Mortality rate, carbon emissions, renewable energy and per capita income nexus in Sub‑Saharan Africa, “PLoS ONE”, 17 (9), e0274447. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0274447
Google Scholar DOI: https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0274447

Aguilera, I., Pedersen, M., Garcia‑Esteban, R., Ballester, F., Basterrechea, M., Esplugues, A., Fernández‑Somoano, A., Lertxundi, A., Tardón, A., Sunyer, J. (2013), Early‑Life Exposure to Outdoor Air Pollution and respiratory Health, Ear Infections, and Eczema in Infants from the INMA Study, “Environmental Health Perspectives”, 121 (3), pp. 387–392, https://doi.org/10.1289/ehp.1205281
Google Scholar DOI: https://doi.org/10.1289/ehp.1205281

Aigbokhaode, A.Q., Isara, A.R. (2021), Household Air Pollution and Respiratory Symptoms of Women and Children in a Suburban Community in Nigeria, “Thoracic Research and Practice”, 22 (6), pp. 466–472, https://doi.org/10.5152/TurkThoracJ.2021.21013
Google Scholar DOI: https://doi.org/10.5152/TurkThoracJ.2021.21013

Alege, P.O., Ogundipe, A.A. (2013), Environmental quality and economic growth in Nigeria: A fractional cointegration analysis, “International Journal of Development and Sustainability”, 2 (2), pp. 580–596, https://isdsnet.com/ijds-v2n2-10.pdf (accessed: 5.03.2022).
Google Scholar

Alege, P.O., Adediran, O.S., Ogundipe, A.A. (2016), Pollutant emissions, energy consumption and economic growth in Nigeria, “International Journal of Energy Economics and Policy”, 6 (2), pp. 202–207.
Google Scholar

Andriano, L., Monden, C.W. (2017), Climate change and child mortality in sub‑Saharan Africa: can maternal education and community factors moderate this effect?, [in:] Giornate di Studio sulla Popolazione 2017, https://paa.confex.com/paa/2017/meetingapp.cgi/Paper/14392 (accessed: 5.03.2022).
Google Scholar

Anwar, A., Ayub, M., Khan, N., Flahault, A. (2019), Nexus between Air Pollution and Neonatal Deaths: A Case of Asian Countries, “International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health”, 16 (21), 4148, https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph16214148
Google Scholar DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph16214148

Banister, J., Zhang, X. (2005), China, Economic Development, and Mortality Decline, “World Development”, 33 (1), pp. 21–41, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.worlddev.2004.09.003
Google Scholar DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.worlddev.2004.09.003

Bourzac, K. (2019), Air pollution kills 780,000 people in Africa each year. Modeling study from NASA suggests Saharan dust storms account for much of the burden, “Chemical and Engineering News”, 97 (17), https://cen.acs.org/environment/pollution/Air-pollution-kills-780000-people/97/i17 (accessed: 12.06.2022).
Google Scholar DOI: https://doi.org/10.1021/cen-09717-leadcon

Frey, R.S., Cui, W. (2017), Infant mortality in the world system, “Journal of Globalization Studies”, 7 (1), pp. 284–292, https://www.sociostudies.org/journal/articles/450869/ (accessed: 5.03.2022).
Google Scholar

Gilliland, F.D., Li, Y.‑F., Dubeau, L., Berhane, K., Avol, E., McConnell, R., Gauderman, W.J., Peters, J.M. (2002), Effects of GlutathioneS‑Transferase M1, Maternal Smoking during Pregnancy, and Environmental Tobacco Smoke on Asthma and Wheezing in Children, “American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine”, 166 (4), pp. 457–463, https://doi.org/10.1164/rccm.2112064
Google Scholar DOI: https://doi.org/10.1164/rccm.2112064

Mutizwa, A., Makochekanwa, A. (2015), Impact of environmental quality on health status: A study of 12 southern African development community (SADC) countries between 2000 and 2008, “Botswana Journal of Economics”, 13 (1), pp. 87–111.
Google Scholar

Osabohien, R., Ayomitunde, A.T., Bose, A.D., Bose, J.L. (2021), Carbon Emissions and Life Expectancy in Nigeria, “International Journal of Energy Economics and Policy”, 11 (1), pp. 497–501, https://doi.org/10.32479/ijeep.10834
Google Scholar DOI: https://doi.org/10.32479/ijeep.10834

Patel, A.P., Jagai, J.S., Messer, L.C., Gray, C.L., Rappazzo, K.M., Deflorio‑Barker, S.A., Lobdell, D.T. (2018), Associations between environmental quality and infant mortality in the United States, 2000–2005, “Archives of Public Health”, 76 (1), pp. 1–11, https://doi.org/10.1186/s13690-018-0306-0
Google Scholar DOI: https://doi.org/10.1186/s13690-018-0306-0

Pullabhotla, H. (2018), Fires, Wind, and Smoke: Air Pollution and Infant Mortality, https://www.aeaweb.org/conference/2019/preliminary/paper/knhnZk62 (accessed: 12.06.2022).
Google Scholar

Quy‑Toan, D., Joshi, S., Stolper, S. (2016), Can environmental policy reduce infant mortality? Evidence from the Ganga Pollution Cases, “Journal of Development Economics”, 133 (C), pp. 306–325, https://econpapers.repec.org/article/eeedeveco/v_3a133_3ay_3a2018_3ai_3ac_3ap_3a306-325.htm (accessed: 25.03.2021).
Google Scholar

Rahman, M.M., Alam, K., Khanam, R. (2022), Socio‑economic factors affecting high infant and child mortality rates in selected African countries: does globalisation play any role?, “Global Health”, 18 (69), https://doi.org/10.1186/s12992-022-00855‑z
Google Scholar DOI: https://doi.org/10.1186/s12992-022-00855-z

Salthammer, T., Uhde, E., Schripp, T., Schieweck, A., Morawska, L., Mazaheri, M., Clifford, S., He, C., Buonanno, G., Querol, X., Viana, M., Kumar, P. (2016), Children’s well‑being at schools: Impact of climatic conditions and air pollution, “Environment International”, 94, pp. 196–210, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envint.2016.05.009
Google Scholar DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envint.2016.05.009

Singh, P., Dey, S., Chowdhury, S., Bali, K. (2019), Early life exposure to outdoor air pollution: Effect on child health in India, https://www.brookings.edu/articles/early-life-exposure-to-outdoor-air-pollution-effect-on-child-health-in-india/ (accessed: 5.03.2022).
Google Scholar

Statista (2020), Population in Africa by country, https://www.statista.com/statistics/1121246/population-in-africa-by-country (accessed: 5.03.2022).
Google Scholar

UNICEF (2020), Levels and Trends in Child Mortality, https://www.unicef.org/media/79371/file/UN‑IGME‑child‑mortality‑report-2020.pdf.pdf (accessed: 12.06.2022).
Google Scholar

United Nations (2020), Inequality in a Rapid Changing world. World Social Report, https://digitallibrary.un.org/record/3847753/files/World‑Social‑Report-2020.pdf (accessed: 5.03.2022).
Google Scholar

Urhie, E., Afolabi, A., Afolabi, A., Matthew, O., Osabohien, R., Ewetan, O. (2020), Economic growth, air pollution and health outcomes in Nigeria: A moderated mediation model, “Cogent Social Sciences”, 6 (1), 1719570, https://doi.org/10.1080/23311886.2020.1719570
Google Scholar DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/23311886.2020.1719570

World Development Indicators (WDI), World Bank (2019), World Development Indicators, https://databank.worldbank.org/source/world-development-indicators (accessed: 14.08.2022).
Google Scholar

World Development Indicators (WDI), World Bank (2020), World Development Indicators, https://databank.worldbank.org/source/world-development-indicators (accessed: 14.08.2022).
Google Scholar

World Health Organization (2015), Climate and health country profile 2015: Nigeria (No. WHO World Health Organization. (2018). Air pollution and child health: prescribing clean air: summary (No. WHO/CED/PHE/18.01). World Health Organization. /FWC/PHE/EPE/15.11), https://apps.who.int/iris/handle/10665/275545 (accessed: 12.06.2021).
Google Scholar