A vision of achieving food security: does physical infrastructure matter? A Sub-Saharan African perspective

Abstract

Achieving Food Security and ending hunger in Africa have been identified as necessary for attaining sustainable growth and development. On the other hand, physical infrastructural development has been documented to have a strong impact on global food security. This study investigates the nexus between physical Infrastructure, including transport, electricity, information and communication technology, water supply and sanitation and food security in Sub-Saharan Africa. The study uses the Panel Corrected Standard Errors (PCSEs) estimation technique on data from 2000 to 2021 across a sample of 40 selected countries. The finding indicates that transport, electricity, information and telecommunication, water supply and sanitation have positive and positive effects on food security in selected SSA countries. The estimated coefficient indicates that improvement in transport, electricity, information and telecommunication technology (ICT), water supply and sanitation enhance food security by 0.916%, 0.664%, 0.448% and 0.758%, respectively. This is a reflection that improvement in physical infrastructure has the potential to accentuate the attainment of food security in Africa. In addition, GDP per capita growth, merchandise trade and political stability positively affect food security, while inflation and population growth negatively affect food security. In this light, the study recommends that special attention should be tailored towards the quality of physical infrastructures and access to such infrastructure at all times. SSA countries must strengthen their infrastructure systems to enhance sustainable agricultural practices, which will greatly improve food security.

Keywords

• Physical infrastructure
• transport
• electricity
• ICT
• water supply and sanitation
• food security