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This study examines the effects of financial development on undernourishment with panel data from 40 African countries. We show that financial development in all its dimensions reduces undernourishment. In addition, financial development, financial institutions, the financial market, and financial market depth reduce child stunting. We also identify education, health expenditure, access to electricity, and control of corruption as the main transmission channels through which financial development reduces undernourishment. These results have important implications for the achievement of the "Zero Hunger" goal in Africa and for improving child nutrition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A growing body of literature highlights the importance of export sophistication for economic development. Given the newness of the literature on export sophistication, its determinants are under‐exploited. As a pioneer study, this paper attempts to fill this gap in the literature by examining the effect of infrastructure development on export sophistication. Based on a panel of 45 African countries over the period 2003–2016, the results of the different estimations show that infrastructure, including transport, electricity, ICT and access to water and sanitation, improves export sophistication in Africa. Our results also show that the effect of infrastructure varies at different intervals of the export sophistication distribution. Therefore, improved infrastructure would allow African countries to not only improve their export structure but also achieve sustainable and durable growth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper investigates the effect of oil dependence on access to water and sanitation in 49 African countries, with data covering the period 1996–2015. Additionally, it investigates as a first attempt how the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI) affects the relationship between oil dependence and access to water and sanitation. Using the two‐step system generalized method of moments, the results show that oil dependence is negatively associated with access to water and sanitation, both for the total population and urban and rural populations, respectively. Considering the difference between oil abundance and oil dependence, we find that both oil abundance and oil dependence are negatively associated with access to water and sanitation. Finally, the results illustrate that the EITI mitigates the negative effect of oil dependence on access to water and sanitation in resources rich African countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the belief that no country in the world can develop without a strong industrial sector, African leaders have consistently stressed the importance of industrialization for sustainable development. Despite the benefits of industrialization, Africa remains the least industrialized region in the world. Moreover, this is the region where the problem of energy poverty is most acute, with the lowest levels of access to and consumption of electricity. Thus, this study analyzes the effect of energy poverty on industrialization in a sample of 44 African countries. Using the two-step system Generalized Method of Moments, empirical results resilient to a set of robustness checks consistently show that reducing energy poverty is a necessary condition for the industrialization of African countries. Through a mediation analysis, this study identifies human capital and income as some channels through which the reduction of energy poverty favors the industrialization of African countries. The conclusions of this study have the main implication of inviting African decision-makers to improve the effectiveness of the various national and sub-regional initiatives aimed at guaranteeing access to clean, reliable, and modern energy for all in order to foster the industrialization of African economies. • The study analyzes the effect of energy poverty on industrialization in 44 African countries. • Static and dynamic panel estimation techniques are used. • Results suggest that energy poverty impedes industrialization. • Human capital, and income are some transmission channels. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]