Government HealthCare Expenditure and Infant Mortality in Nigeria.

This study investigates the determinants of infant mortality in Nigeria, focusing on the roles of government healthcare expenditure (both capital and recurrent), per capita income, and tertiary school enrolment rate from 1981 to 2023. Using annual time series data obtained from the World Development Indicators (WDI) (2023) and CBN Statistical Bulletin (2023) the analysis employs the Augmented Dickey-Fuller (ADF) unit root test, Johansen cointegration technique, and a parsimonious error correction model (ECM) to examine both long- and short-run relationships among the variables. The descriptive statistics revealed considerable variations in the data, particularly in capital health expenditure, while the unit root tests confirmed that the variables were integrated of order one, I(1). The Johansen cointegration testestablished the existence of three cointegrating relationships, indicating a stable long-run association among the variables. The ECM results showed that government capital healthcare expenditure and per capita income significantly reduce infant mortality in both the short and long run, while recurrent health expenditure and tertiary school enrolment had delayed or marginal effects. The study concludes that strategic investment in healthcare infrastructure, income-enhancing policies, and improved educational attainment are critical to reducing infant mortality in Nigeria. Based on the findings, the study recommends increased and sustained capital spending in the health sector, efficient use of recurrent health funds, poverty reduction strategies, and strengthened educational policies.