Effects of Energy Poverty

This study examined the relationship between energy poverty and environmental quality using panel data of 9 ECOWAS nations for the period of 2000 to 2020. The study adopted cross-sectional Augmented Im, Pesaran, and Shinpanel unit root test and the panel non-linear Autoregressive Distributed Lag techniques as analytical tools with Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) and Gross Domestic Product (GDP) per capita as control variables. Results indicate the presence of significant symmetric and asymmetric relationship between energy poverty index and ecological footprint (EF) in the long run and further confirms the existence of the Environmental Kuznet Curve (EKC) Hypothesis only in the long run. The study also reveal that FDI has no significant influence on EF, while GDP leads to a significant increase in pollution via the ecological footprint. The study recommended some macro energy policies for the ECOWAS nations to improve their performance in tackling energy poverty and increasing environmental quality