This study investigates the role of information and communication technology (ICT) development towards ending youth unemployment in the 48 sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) countries from 1991 to 2018. Using a dynamic panel modelling technique, the study employed the instrumental variable (IV) regression, within the framework of the system generalized method of moment (GMM-SYS) estimator. The results show that the low level of mobile phone subscriptions, broadband internet subscriptions, Wi-Fi internet subscriptions and internet bandwidth exert a significant negative effect on youth unemployment. This means that ICT development reduces youth unemployment in SSA. Also, it was found that the number of households with access to computers has a negative but insignificant effect on youth unemployment; this shows the ineffective role of household computers in reducing youth unemployment in SSA. Based on these findings, we recommend among other things that, for government to optimize the expanding youth population, there is the need for further telecommunication reforms to reduce the cost of mobile phone technologies and improved ultra-modern internet facilities in the region.

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While international remittance inflow is globally recognized as a key source of income for improved standard of living and poverty reduction, there is an ongoing intellectual debate that persistent remittance inflow causes deterioration in trade balances, by inducing import-led consumption expenditures, especially in developing countries like Nigeria. The study investigated the impact of international remittance inflows on Nigeria’s trade balances from 1990 to 2016. The study uses the contemporary econometric techniques of Zivot-Andrew (ZA) structural break unit root test, as well as the Gregory- Hansen cointegration test that allows for a single most significant unknown structural break in both the intercept and the entire coefficient vectors. The results show that remittance inflows to Nigeria have significant negative effect on trade balance, meaning that the Dutch disease effect of remittance inflows prevails in Nigeria. Based on this finding, the study recommends that the remittance inflows to Nigeria should follow the channel of private savings which, in turn, is released to productive domestic investment in order to expand the pool of manufactured products. This will definitely overcome the Dutch disease symptom being experienced in Nigeria.

Economic diversification is identified as a recipe for achieving inclusive growth and the role of institutions in strengthening the process of diversification cannot be ruled out. This study examined the role of institutions in helping economic diversification to achieve inclusive growth in Nigeria. Inclusive growth was measured using the growth rate of the inequality-adjusted human development index. Based on the Solow growth model and adopting the Johansen cointegration test, the results show that economic diversification in Nigeria does not significantly contribute to inclusive growth. The interaction of diversification with the institutions gave a positive significant result meaning that effective institutions will help economic diversification contribute to inclusive growth. Hence, the government using appropriate institutions can ensure an investment-friendly environment to support economic diversification and encourage inclusive growth in Nigeria.