Analyzing the impact of agricultural donor aid on food security in West Africa

Despite the abundance of agricultural donor aid to the less-developed nations, especially in West African countries, little is known regarding its role in enhancing food security. This study argues that the flow of aid to the productive sector would have a sustainable impact since it has a multiplier effect on the recipient countries by enhancing productivity in the agricultural sector. Therefore, by filling this gap, the research aims to analyze the impact of agricultural donor aid on food security in 16 West African countries between 2009-2018. The study adopted quantitative cross-country panel data and utilized the Two-Stage Least Square Regression model (2SLS) to examine to what extent agricultural aid has impacted food security in the sub-region. This method was adopted to address the endogeneity problems in this research model specification, where it is assumed that there is a reverse causality between donor aid and food security. The findings indicate that agricultural aid has impacts on food accessibility, and utilization in West Africa. This impact is based on good governance and the institutional qualities of recipient countries.