Predicting Increase In Productivity with Higher Renewable Energy In 6 West African Countries Using Multiple Linear Regression

Reducing the emission of CO2 has been on the front burner of recent studies, policy makers all over the world to find alternative ways of production and consumption of electricity. Renewable energy usage has been found out to be the safest way to reduce the emission of C02 into the environment and it is also a strategy to sustainable development and efficient power usage that will also have positive economic impact. The sample data are secondary data for the six West African countries(Benin, Burkina Faso, Cote d’ Ivoire, Ghana, Mali, Nigeria) in this study which was gotten from Energy Information Administration (EIA), spanning from 1990 - 2018, while the data for the Gross domestic product (GDP) was from world bank data bank also spanning from 1990 - 2018. This study aims to look at how renewable energy usage can bring sustainable growth to six West African countries: Benin, Burkina Faso, Cote d' Ivoire, Ghana, Mali, and Nigeria whilst reducing the emission of CO2 during production and also increasing GDP. This study employs multiple linear regression to conduct a study on the relationships (GDP, Hydroelectricity, and Non-hydro renewable energy) between these six countries. The results of this study show that there is a strong positive relationship between GDP and renewable energy in Mali, but it is moderate and mild in the rest countries except for Nigeria that has no relationship between GDP and renewable energy. Also, the result shows that the Non-hydro form of renewable energy is the most used form of renewable energy production. Multiple regression analysis shows that hydro and non-hydro power generation has a positive effect on the GDP which will, in turn, drive an eco-friendly environment and power usage efficiency. Further and advanced studies can be carried out looking at the problems surrounding non-hydro power generation. Policy directions can be geared towards the outcome of this study.