Energy Security and Agricultural Sector Performance in Nigeria

This study analyzed the performance of the Nigerian agriculture sector and energy security from 1990 to 2023. The study examined the interrelations of energy accessibility and agricultural sector performance, energy availability and agricultural sector performance, energy affordability and agricultural sector performance, and energy acceptability in relation to agricultural sector performance in Nigeria. The factors used are agricultural sector output (ASO), energy availability (EAVL), energy accessibility (EACS), energy affordability (EAFD), and energy acceptability (EACP). All data was sourced from the World Development Indicators (WDI), the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC), and the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Statistical Bulletin. The study employed Auto-Regressive Distributed Lag (ARDL) to ascertain the relationship between variables. The Energy-Growth Nexus Hypothesis was adopted. The study indicated that energy availability and energy accessibility are significantly related to the performance of the Nigerian agricultural sector. The investigation concluded that energy security significantly impacts the performance of Nigeria's agriculture economy. The study recommended that to enhance the improvement of the agricultural sector, the government should, among other measures, endorse a framework for renewable energy, stabilize electricity rates, promote off-grid renewable systems, and guarantee a consistent electricity supply.