CAN INSTITUTIONAL QUALITY REDUCE GREENHOUSE GAS EMISSIONS IN SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA? A LESSON FOR CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION STRATEGY

Quality institutions serve as a vehicle for balancing immediate economic growth imperatives with long-term, sustainable and environmentally friendly economic growth. In light of this, the present study examines institutional quality in 49 Sub-Saharan African countries to assess its strength in reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Five (5) institutional factors, namely: Legal system, Rule-based Governance, Social Protection, Investor’s Protection and Police Services, were used. The data were sourced from the World Bank Country Institutional Policy Assessment and World Economic Forum Global Competitiveness Index data during 2008-2018. We used descriptive statistics, Pearson’s correlation statistics, and regression estimates to analyse the data. The results show that Sub-Saharan African countries have low institutional quality, which reduces GHG emissions. To confront the climate change crisis head-on, we recommend that Sub-Saharan African governments strengthen their democratic institutions.