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Women empowerment and environmental sustainability in Africa

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  • Achuo, Elvis
  • Asongu, Simplice
  • Tchamyou, Vanessa

Abstract

This study examines the effect of women’s socioeconomic empowerment on environmental sustainability in Africa over the 1996-2019 period. Results of the system Generalised Method of Moments (GMM) estimator reveal that women’s socioeconomic empowerment is environment enhancing. Moreover, the findings reveal that the environmental impact of women’s socioeconomic empowerment is modulated through GDP per capita and Foreign Direct Investments (FDI), leading to respective net effects of 0.002055 and 0.003478. These positive net effects are offset beyond respective threshold values of 9.513889 and 9.611398. These thresholds of GDP and FDI are critical for complementary policies relating to the link between women empowerment and environmental sustainability. Consequently, for women empowerment to effectively contribute to environmental sustainability in Africa, various governments, either through individual or concerted efforts should endeavour to create enabling business environments capable of attracting substantial FDI necessary to propel sustainable growth. Moreover, the nexus is not linear and hence, governments should also be aware of critical levels of FDI and GDP per capita at which, complementary policies are needed for women’s socioeconomic empowerment to maintain a positive influence on environmental sustainability.

Suggested Citation

  • Achuo, Elvis & Asongu, Simplice & Tchamyou, Vanessa, 2022. "Women empowerment and environmental sustainability in Africa," MPRA Paper 119053, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    • Handle: RePEc:pra:mprapa:119053
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    Cited by:

    1. Asongu, Simplice A. & Ngoungou, Yolande E. & Nnanna, Joseph, 2023. "Mobile money innovations and health performance in sub-Saharan Africa," Technology in Society, Elsevier, vol. 74(C).
    2. Simplice A. Asongu & Nicholas M. Odhiambo, 2023. "Female unemployment, mobile money innovations and doing business by females," Journal of Innovation and Entrepreneurship, Springer, vol. 12(1), pages 1-26, December.
    3. Jean C. Kouam & Simplice A. Asongu & Bin J. Meh & Robert Nantchouang & Fri L. Asanga & Denis Foretia, 2022. "Duration of Support and Financial Health of Business Support Structures in Burkina Faso, Cameroon, and Ghana: A Micro-Econometric Analysis," Working Papers of the African Governance and Development Institute. 22/048, African Governance and Development Institute..
    4. Tii N. Nchofoung & Simplice A. Asongu & Vanessa S. Tchamyou, 2022. "Effect of women’s political inclusion on the level of infrastructures in Africa," Working Papers of the African Governance and Development Institute. 22/021, African Governance and Development Institute..
    5. Simplice A. Asongu & Nicholas M. Odhiambo, 2023. "The role of financial inclusion in moderating the incidence of entrepreneurship on energy poverty in Ghana," Working Papers of the African Governance and Development Institute. 23/035, African Governance and Development Institute..
    6. Nchofoung, Tii N. & Asongu, Simplice A., 2022. "Effects of infrastructures on environmental quality contingent on trade openness and governance dynamics in Africa," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 189(C), pages 152-163.
    7. Ofori, Isaac K. & Gbolonyo, Emmanuel Y. & Toyo Dossou, Marcel A. & Nkrumah, Richard K. & Nkansah, Emmanuel, 2023. "Towards inclusive growth in Africa: Remittances, and financial development interactive effects and thresholds," Journal of Multinational Financial Management, Elsevier, vol. 68(C).
    8. Simplice A. Asongu & Nicholas M. Odhiambo, 2023. "Microfinance institutions and female entrepreneurship in Sub-Saharan Africa: avoidable female unemployment thresholds," Working Papers 23/018, European Xtramile Centre of African Studies (EXCAS).
    9. Asongu, Simplice A. & le Roux, Sara, 2023. "The role of mobile money innovations in transforming unemployed women to self-employed women in sub-Saharan Africa," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 191(C).
    10. Ofori, Isaac K. & Gbolonyo, Emmanuel Y. & Dossou, Marcel A. T. & Nkrumah, Richard K. & Nkansah, Emmanuel, 2023. "Towards inclusive growth in Africa: Remittances, and financial development interactive effects and thresholds," MPRA Paper 116958, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    11. Isaac K. Ofori & Emmanuel Y. Gbolonyo & Marcel A. Toyo Dossou & Richard K. Nkrumah & Emmanuel Nkansah, 2023. "Towards inclusive growth in Africa: Remittances, and financial development interactive effects and thresholds," Working Papers 23/024, European Xtramile Centre of African Studies (EXCAS).
    12. Elvis Dze Achuo, 2022. "The nexus between crude oil price shocks and environmental quality: empirical evidence from sub-Saharan Africa," SN Business & Economics, Springer, vol. 2(7), pages 1-15, July.
    13. Isaac K. Ofori & Emmanuel Y. Gbolonyo & Marcel A. Toyo Dossou & Richard K. Nkrumah & Emmanuel Nkansah, 2023. "Towards inclusive growth in Africa: Remittances, and financial development interactive effects and thresholds," Working Papers of the African Governance and Development Institute. 23/024, African Governance and Development Institute..

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Women empowerment; Environmental sustainability; Ecofeminism; Africa;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • B54 - Schools of Economic Thought and Methodology - - Current Heterodox Approaches - - - Feminist Economics
    • J16 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demographic Economics - - - Economics of Gender; Non-labor Discrimination
    • O55 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economywide Country Studies - - - Africa
    • O56 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economywide Country Studies - - - Oceania

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