Impact of Health Investment on Economic Development in Nigeria

Abstract

This study examined the impact of health investment on economic development in Nigeria. Using secondary data sourced from Central Bank of Nigeria Statistical Bulletins and World Bank development indicators, World Bank Database for the period of 1981- 2020. It applied Augmented Dickey Fuller (ADF) and Philips-Perron (PP) tests for unit root which indicated that all the variables were stationary at first difference except gross fixed capital formation at level. The mixed order of the unit root tests necessitated the adoption of Autoregressive Distributed Lag (ARDL) bounds Cointegration technique. The study submitted that a strong evidence of cointegration among the variables exist. It prove that health investment variables (recurrent and capital health investment, public education expenditure, gross fixed capital formation and labour participation rate) have positive impacts on economic development in Nigeria except foreign exchange rate which reveals negative impact. The result of Pairwise Granger causality test indicated that there were uni-directional and bidirectional causality among health investment variables and economic development in Nigeria. Therefore, it concluded that health investment variables have positive and significant impacts on economic development in Nigeria except exchange rate. Moreover, this study recommended that health policy should be made by government to increase the budgetary allocation to health sector particularly on recurrent and capital public health investment, improve quality of education through statutory allocation to education sector, provide exchange rate policy that will encourage investment in human capital by individuals and private sector. Finally, the government should expand institutional capacity to produce qualified manpower, improve personnel salaries, wages and working conditions in health and education sectors