Healthcare Accessibility and Inclusive Human Capital Development in ECOWAS Member State: A Dynamic Panel Data Analysis

Abstract

Health is a direct determinant of human well-being and an essential input to economic productivity and societal resilience. In the Economic Community of West African States, persistent deficits in equitable access to healthcare and inclusive human capital development are caused by socioeconomic inequalities, financial barriers, and a fragmented healthcare system. These factors lead to low economic productivity and a continuous cycle of poverty and also violate people’s fundamental right to health and education. This research examined the impact of healthcare accessibility on inclusive human capital development among ECOWAS countries using a time series data from 1980 to 2023. Human capital theory is the theoretical framework for this study. The variables used are the inequality human development index (IHDI) (dependent variable) and other independent variables, such as education expenditure (EDEx), public health expenditure (PHEx), real GDP per capita (GDPp), poverty headcount ratio, and institutional quality (INSQ). An instrumental variables (IV) estimator of dynamic panel models based on the System Generalized Method of Moments (SGMM) was used in the estimation. The study found that public health expenditure, GDP per capita, and institutional quality have a negative and significant impact on the inclusive development of the region due to structural corruption lag, high administrative overhead and systemic leakages. Education expenditure and poverty headcount ratio have a negative and insignificant impact. This study recommends, amongst others, that access to health care such as county or community hospitals, mobile clinics, and Ward ambulance services should be provided to increase health accessibility. The government can also promote inclusive growth policies, such as free or sponsored access to education and health care, to ensure that economic gains reach the poor in ECOWAS countries.