Effect of information and communication technologies on economic growth in WAEMU countries

Abstract

This article analyzes the effect of ICT on economic growth in the West African Economic and Monetary Union. The empirical analysis is made on the basis of an ARDL model on panel data covering the period 1990-2018. The empirical model was estimated using the Pooled Mean Group (PMG), Mean Group (MG) and Dynamic Fixed Effect (DFE) methods. The results show that in the long term, the stock of ICT infrastructure positively influences economic growth in WAEMU countries. These results suggest the need for decision-makers in WAEMU countries to commit to further developing their telecommunications infrastructure in order to best accelerate the growth process of their economies.