Achieving the “zero hunger” goal in Africa: Beyond the direct effects of infrastructure development

Abstract

The relevance of the worldwide commitment to end hunger as stated in Sustainable Development Goal 2.1 makes it crucial to understand the trend of undernourishment and the accompanying determinants that are still underexplored. Using a sample of 41 African countries covering the 2003–2019 period, this paper contributes to the literature by examining the direct and indirect effects of infrastructure development on the prevalence of undernourishment (PoU). Findings from the system generalized method of moments show that infrastructure development (including ICT, water and sanitation, transport, and electricity) significantly reduces the PoU and child stunting. Interestingly, the causal mediation analysis reveals that human capital, governance, and economic growth are the main channels through which infrastructure development reduces hunger in Africa. Among policy implications, the development of reliable infrastructures remains a prerequisite for attaining the “zero hunger” goal in Africa.