Electricity and ICT in West Africa: Implication for Female Employment

Abstract

The importance of electricity and ICT access in achieving gender equality and
sustainable development cannot be overemphasized. While ICTs tends to create
opportunities for women by enabling their participation in social, political and
economic processes, electricity access alleviates women’s time poverty and
creates opportunities for labour force participation. This study investigates this
assertion by examining the effects of female access to electricity and ICT
diffusion on female employment in sixteen (16) West African countries from
1990 to 2020. It disaggregates female employment into three; agriculture,
industry and service. The study sources data from World Bank Data Bank and
conducts both static analysis (Pooled Effect) and dynamic analysis using Panel
ARDL procedures of Mean Group (MG), Pooled Mean Group (PMG) and
Dynamic Fixed Effect (DFE) having confirmed the stationarity of variables.
Result from dynamic analysis shows that all variables are positive and they are
long run determinants of female employment in West Africa. Sectoral analysis
reveals that female access to electricity discourages female employment in
agriculture while it improves female employment in the service sector. On the
other hand, ICT diffusion in West African countries impacts female employment
negatively in the agriculture and industrial sectors but boosts female employment
in the service sector. While female education is a negative determinant of female
employment in the highlighted sectors of the economy in the long run, fertility
has a strong and negative impact on female employment in the three sectors of
the economy in the short run. It is suggested that governments in West African
countries should expedite efforts in expanding female energy access through
capacity building, partnership with local stakeholders and creating a conducive
environment for women entrepreneurs. This will ensure a smooth energy
transition in the region. Also, the agriculture sector should be formalised to
encourage female employment.