The effects of energy use on infant mortality rates in Africa

Abstract

Abstract The availability and supply of electricity remains pivotal to the social and economic wellbeing of people and society. Researchers have confirmed that access to electricity greatly impacts quality of life as well as life expectancy. Today, while most developing nations continue to grapple with the consequences of an epileptic power supply and its effects on their socio-economic and environmental prosperity, developed nations are focused on promoting policies and programs to sustain and improve the provision of adequate electricity that guarantees less emissions, pollution and hazards to human health. At the moment, about a hundred million people lack access to enough clean, affordable and reliable energy to meet their daily needs. However, the growing need for electricity to power our world and our lives portends dangerous consequences that must be prevented. This paper examines the effects of energy use on the infant mortality rate in Africa by using a panel of 23 African countries for the period from 1999 and 2014. The Gary Becker hypothesis and the Grossman models are used to examine the relationship between energy related predictors and infant mortality fundamentals. The results of the study show that energy predictors have a negative and significant impact on infant mortality rates among the African countries examined. Further results show that a high degree of pollution causes a rise in mortality rates, whereas proceeds from natural resource rents reduce the level of infant mortality. Thus, this empirical estimation suggests that there is an urgent need for government intervention programs to rescue the region from this energy dilemma.