Background: Sub-Saharan Africa's agricultural sector, the backbone of its economy, faces the concurrent pressures of climate change and a persistent financing gap. Green finance and financial inclusion have emerged as critical drivers of sustainable development, yet their combined influence on agricultural productivity in the region is not well understood.
Objective: This study empirically investigates the individual and synergistic effects of green finance and financial inclusion on agricultural productivity in Sub-Saharan Africa.
Methods: The study utilizes a dynamic panel dataset for a sample of Sub-Saharan African countries from 2005 to 2022. Agricultural productivity is the dependent variable, while green finance and financial inclusion serve as the main independent variables. To account for endogeneity and unobserved heterogeneity, the analysis employs the System Generalized Method of Moments (System GMM) estimator.
Results: The econometric results indicate that both green finance and financial inclusion have a statistically significant and positive association with agricultural productivity. More importantly, the analysis reveals a positive and significant interaction effect, suggesting that the benefits of green finance are amplified in countries with higher levels of financial inclusion.
Conclusion: The study concludes that an integrated policy approach that simultaneously promotes green finance initiatives and deepens financial inclusion is essential for catalyzing sustainable agricultural growth in Sub-Saharan Africa. Policymakers should focus on creating an enabling environment for green investments and designing targeted financial products that reach smallholder farmers to build a climate-resilient and productive agricultural sector.
