The role of agriculture development in sustainable economic growth in Sub-Saharan African countries

Abstract

This paper investigates the relationship between agriculture growth and economic development in sub-Saharan African economies. Based on a dataset spanning from 2008 to 2021, a model was ran using least squares regression. The Pearson’s correlation coefficients show that there is a bidirectional causal effect between agriculture growth and economic development. The findings based on the regression model reveal that agriculture growth has significant positive effect on economic development. This means that the development of the agriculture sectors will consequently lead to the economic growth.  This is therefore instructive to governments, non-governmental agencies, and other development partners to develop and adopt policies that could boost the growth the agricultural industrial complex. This would promote development socioeconomic development as it will lead to the creation of jobs and employment for youth and boost agribusiness as well as serve as ready market of raw materials for local and foreign manufacturing and processing firms. This may not only help reduce poverty and unemployment in the sub-Saharan region but will also help in expanding it exports of agricultural products that would improve the balance of trade of these countries.

Keywords: еconomic growth, sustainable development, agricultural growth, sub-Saharan Africa, Foreign direct investment, poverty reduction