The study examines the effectiveness of ICT diffusion and financial development in reducing the severity and intensity of poverty in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). Using data from the World Development Indicators and the Global Consumption and Income Project (1980-2019), we provide evidence, robust to several specifications from the dynamic system GMM and the panel corrected standard errors estimation techniques, to show that, compared to financial access, ICT usage, and ICT access, ICT skills is remarkable in reducing both the severity and intensity of poverty. The results further revealed that, though ICT skills reduce poverty, the effect is more pronounced in the presence of enhanced financial development. Policy recommendations are provided in line with the region's green growth agenda and technological progress.

Despite the established link between oil rent fluctuations and remittances received, its plausible joint effect on economic growth in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) remains unexplored. To fill this gap, first, we determine whether natural resource rent (composed of oil rent, forest rent and natural gas rent) reduces economic growth in SSA. Second, we examine whether positive macroeconomic signals such as remittances mitigate the negative effect of oil rents on economic growth in a sample of 43 SSA countries spanning 1990-2017. We employ the pooled ordinary least squares, fixedeffects, random-effects and generalized method of moments. The resulting empirical evidence established are: (1) there is a positive impact of forest rent on economic growth whilst oil rent and natural gas rent have a negative impact on economic growth (2) there is a positive marginal and net effect on economic growth from the interaction between remittances and oil rent. In addition, the unconditional effect of remittances on growth is positive. We further perform a threshold analysis to establish a critical ground that could also influence economic growth positively. This threshold is crucial because below these critical mass remittance inflows mitigate the negative incidence of oil rent on economic growth and above the threshold, negative oil rent on growth is completely nullified. This Pamela Efua Ofori ABOUT THE AUTHOR Pamela Efua Ofori holds a master's degree in MSc. Economics from the University of Granada, Spain. Miss. Ofori is currently a master student at the University of Insubria, Italy, studying global entrepreneurship economics and management (GEEM) specializing in Economics of Innovation. Her research interests are economic growth and development, innovation, governance and female empowerment. She is an active member of Women for Africa Foundation (Mujeres Por Africa) in Spain and an intern with the Association for promoting women in Research and Development in Africa (ASPROWORDA) in Cameroon.Daryna Grechyna obtained her PhD at Universitat Autonoma de Barcelona, Spain. Dr. Daryna Grechyna currently holds a senior lecturer position in the Department of Economics at the University of Granada, Spain. Her research interests include political economy, public economics, education Economics, and Economic Development. She also works in the fields of Macroeconomics, Public Finance, Corporate Finance, and International Economic Relations.

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