Financial digitization infrastructure, educational expenditure and sustainable development outcomes: Evidence from a multi-country panel in sub-Saharan Africa

This paper examines the relationship between digital payment infrastructure (DPI), education spending, and government performance to produce sustainable development outcomes in a Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). On panel data of Kenya, Nigeria, South Africa, Rwanda and Ghana over 2010-2022, the results of analysis use two-stage least squares (2SLS), fully modified ordinary least squares (FMOLS), dynamic ordinary least squares (DOLS) and quantile regression methods to overcome the endogeneity, non-stationarity, and distributional heterogeneity. Findings indicate that DPI has a strong, positive and significant effect on the Sustainable Development Index among all estimators and quantiles, which support financial digitization as a structural cause of multidimensional development. The effectiveness of governance improves development based on the short-run dynamics and a distribution-specific effect, whereas government spending on education is always in the negative; this is due to the inefficiency, leakages in governance and long gestation lags and not necessarily the ineffectiveness of education. The internet penetration has negative conditional impacts, which explains the need to focus on digital finance rather than on an overall connection. The results highlight the fact that the outcomes of developing countries are not only determined by the distribution of resources but also the quality of institutions, their effectiveness in implementation, and the strategic targets of digitalization. The policy suggestions focus on digital financial inclusion, governance enhancement, education quality reforms, and integrated development plans.