Incidence of Malaria and Human Capital Development in Anglophone West African Countries

The research investigates the influence of malaria incidence on health outcomes and the advancement of human capital in Anglophone West African nations, covering the timeframe from 2000 to 2023. The stationarity assessment reveals a mixed degree of stationarity, represented as 1(0) and 1(1) among the variables, with the Human Development Index (HDI) serving as the dependent variable indicative of human capital development, while the Mortality Rate of under-five children (U5M), malaria incidence rate (MLI), adult female mortality rate (ADMF), and adult male mortality rate (ADMM) function as independent variables. Accordingly, the study selects the Pooled Mean Group (PMG) methodology as its estimation approach. The results of the study revealed that in the short-run U5M and MLI all have an inverse relationship with HDI and is insignificant to HDI, while ADMF has positive relationship with HDI, and ADMM have a negative relationship with HDI but both were all having a substantial effect on HDI, while in the long-term all the independent variables have a positive relationship with HDI, only U5M that was found to be significant. Based on the findings, the study recommended that Anglophone west Africa countries should prioritize investments in malaria prevention, diagnosis and treatment, as well as integrate malaria control programs into broader health and education policies.