Towards a healthier future for the achievement of SDGs: unveiling the effects of agricultural financing, energy poverty, human capital, and corruption on malnutrition

Abstract

Abstract The objective of the present study is to address child and maternal malnutrition in nine African countries located in the Western sub-region of Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) by incorporating three types of agricultural financing (domestic and external) along with energy poverty, human capital and corruption on malnutrition for the 1990–2019 period and present implications for Sustainable development goals (SDGs). This objective is realized by employing recently advanced panel techniques such as the second-generation panel econometrics techniques and the method of moments quantile regression (MMQR) approach. The estimated results reveal that agricultural credit and foreign aid in the agriculture sector significantly and negatively affect the malnutrition of children and mothers, while research spending in agriculture positively influences malnutrition. Energy poverty and human capital exert a negative and significant influence on child and maternal malnutrition, while corruption induces it. The study finally recommends several policy insights for the governments across the SSA region for tackling child and maternal malnutrition and advancing towards the achievement of SDG 3 through investment in SDG 4, SDG 7 and SDG 17.