Main Article Content
Abstract
This study investigates how infrastructure provision and urbanization influence economic growth in Nigeria, using the Human Development Index (HDI) as a welfare-based measure of economic performance. The research assesses the effects of paved roads, clean water supply, electricity, telecommunications, and public health expenditure on both short and long-run development outcomes, while also examining the role of urban population expansion. Using a time-series analytical framework, the study estimates the immediate and sustained impacts of infrastructure and urbanization on HDI. The results show that clean water access strongly supports long-run growth, although its short-run effects are mixed; paved roads contribute positively in both periods; electricity supply has a slight negative long-run influence despite remaining significant in the short run and public health expenditure consistently enhances economic performance. Telecommunications infrastructure has limited effect, while urbanization exerts a positive influence in both the short and long run. The study provides new empirical evidence on the joint role of infrastructure quality and urban growth in explaining welfare improvements in Nigeria, offering insights for policy efforts aimed at strengthening long-term human development.
JEL Classification:
H54; R11; O40; O15; O18