Unpacking the influence of ICT on respiratory diseases in Sub-Saharan Africa

In Sub-Saharan Africa, respiratory diseases (RD) resulting from climate change are becoming an increasingly serious public health concern. As ICT continues to expand across the region, its role in shaping health outcomes, including RD, has attracted growing attention. This study examines the impact of ICT on RD by incorporating the Environmental Kuznets Curve (EKC) hypothesis, based on data from 29 countries spanning 2000 to 2019. The findings reveal that: (1) ICT improve RD; (2) an inverted U-shaped EKC relationship holds between economic growth and RD; (3) heterogeneity analysis further indicates that ICT's impact on RD is stronger in regions with higher levels of FDI and economic globalization; and (4) effective country governance weakens the positive impact of ICT on RD. Regarding the policy aspect, this research also puts forward several suggestions.