Productivity and economic growth in Africa are constantly stalled by the inadequate and poor quality of infrastructure. Despite the current efforts to understand the economic growth effects of infrastructure, little is documented in the literature concerning the implications of infrastructure quality on productivity and economic growth. We sought to address this issue by investigating the impacts of the quantities and qualities of infrastructure (electricity, telecommunication, roads and airports) on growth and productivity in Africa. It was established that the quantities of electricity, telecom and airport can boost economic growth. Sadly, road infrastructure quantities exerted negative pressure on growth and productivity. While electricity and airport quantities could trigger productivity, we did not find sufficient evidence that increased telecommunication subscriptions may influence productivity. As for the qualitative effects, the quality of airports showed no significant effect on growth while the qualities of electricity, telecommunication and roads imply negative growth impacts. Across all the four infrastructure types, none of their quality attributes tended to influence productivity. We believe that the current shortage and poor (or deteriorating) infrastructures are the fundamental reasons behind the infrastructures’ weaker and, in other instances, negative impacts. An equal proportion of funding is required for both additional infrastructures and improving the quality of the existing infrastructure. Resolving the infrastructure problems in Africa will be challenging in the presence of weak institutions and governments that breed and incubate corruption. Weaker governments cannot run stronger institutions.

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Keywords

Infrastructure Quality; Economic Growth; Productivity; Africa