JAEQM

This study investigates the effects of agricultural expenditure, irrigation, and inflation on agricultural productivity in Africa from 2000–2021. Fixed-effects regression and a meta-frontier approach were employed to estimate technical efficiency under the meta-frontier (TEA), group frontier (TEK), and technology gap ratios (TGR). Results show strong regional disparities: North Africa recorded the highest efficiency (TEA = 0.215; TEK = 0.650), while Central Africa performed worst (TEA = 0.099; TEK = 0.262). East Africa (TGR = 0.793) and West Africa (0.734) exhibited high adaptability to frontier technologies. Irrigation had a positive and significant effect on productivity at the 1% level, whereas agricultural expenditure and inflation were insignificant. The findings highlight irrigation as a key productivity driver and emphasize the need for more efficient spending and stronger institutions to close Africa’s technology gaps.

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