Energy consumption and economic growth nexus in Africa: New insights from emerging economies

With a potential energy crisis on the horizon in terms of huge energy demand-supply gap, the nature of the energy consumption level-economic growth nexus in 10 emerging economies in Africa. Utilizing a non-linear modeling technique between 1980 and 2020, the study found that Nigeria, South Africa, Ghana, Ethiopia, and Kenya have causal and co-integrated relationships. Several forms of causality were found across countries and timeframes. Among other policy implications, the study specifically shows that possibly due to country-specific characteristics, energy policies may not impact economic growth in Angola, Côte d'Ivoire, Benin, Congo DR and Cameroon. The need to design growth-stimulating energy policies was re-emphasized.