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ABSTRACT:

This study examined how access to energy and climate change affect poverty level in some selected West African countries. To achieve the objectives of this study, the researchers collected data on energy access, electricity generated, electricity consumed, price of electricity, climate change (carbon emission) and poverty index from the six selected countries. The selected six (6) countries in west Africa for the study are: Benin, Ghana, Liberia, Nigeria, Senegal, and Sierra Leone based on energy consumption and population size. The period covered by the study is 1995-2022. Both statistical and econometric techniques were adopted for the analysis of the data. Based on the analysis of the data using the Arellano-Bond two-step GMM Dynamic Panel econometric technique, some key empirical findings were made are: Volume of electricity generated had positive and insignificant impact on poverty index. This shows that volume of electricity generated as measure of energy access was not a significant predictor of poverty reduction among the selected west African countries during the period reviewed. Electricity consumed had a positive but insignificant impact on poverty index. This implies that electricity consumed was not a significant predictor of poverty rate among selected west African countries during the period reviewed. Access to electricity had a negative but insignificant impact on and poverty index. This implies that access to electricity was not a significant predictor of poverty reduction among selected countries in west African sub region during the period reviewed. Also, carbon emission as a proxy for climate change impacted negatively but insignificantly on poverty level. This implies that climate change was not a significant predictor of poverty eradication among selected west African countries during the period reviewed. Based on these findings the study recommended effective policies that will address electricity pricing, electricity subsidy and electricity metering in the selected west African countries as possible measures of eradicating poverty in the sub region.

KEYWORDS:

Poverty Index, Energy Access, electricity generated, electricity consumed, price of electricity and Climate change

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