Nexus between National Security, Infrastructural Development, SDGs and Economic Growth in Sub-Saharan Africa

This study investigated the nexus between national security, infrastructural development, SDGs 4 (Quality Education), SDG 11 (Sustainable Cities) and economic growth in Sub-Saharan Africa from 2007 to 2023 using the system generalized method of moment (GMM) and robustly checked the findings using the fully modified ordinary least squares (FMOLS) approach. The results of the system GMM analysis indicate that while infrastructure development and national security have a positive impact on economic growth in Sub-Saharan Africa, the sustainable development goals (SDGs) 4 (quality education) and 11 (sustainable cities and communities) have a significant negative impact on the region's economic growth. Sub-Saharan Africa's economic growth was found to be significantly impacted negatively by national security and infrastructure development, but positively by Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 4 (Quality Education) and 11 (Sustainable Cities and Communities). These findings were robustly checked using the FMOLS. We recommend that in Sub-Saharan Africa, infrastructure, national security, and SDGs 4 and 11 work together to provide an integrated framework for equitable and long-term economic growth. To be transformational, the economic growth process, however, needs to be accompanied by a path of fair and sustainable growth that is ensured by the synergy of these components.