Have FDI, Globalisation and Energy Security Addressed the Malaise in the Nigerian Economy? A Quantile Analysis

Abstract

Nigeria, among other developing countries, faces a lot of challenges on growth and global competitiveness as a result of low foreign capital and energy insecurity, among others. Using a quantile-on-quantile regression technique on Nigeria’s data covering 1980–2017, this article examines the impacts of foreign direct investment (FDI), energy security and globalisation on economic growth. Our empirical findings suggest the following: (a) the net impact of energy security on economic growth is negative—implying that energy security impedes growth in Nigeria; (b) globalisation stimulates economic growth across all quantiles, but only significant at the third quantile; (c) as expected, each of labour and capital produces a positive effect on growth; and (d) there exists an adverse, non-significant effect of FDI on economic growth across all quantiles. Similarly, there is evidence of a bidirectional causality between economic growth and FDI; economic growth and energy security; economic growth and globalisation; FDI and globalisation; as well as between energy security and globalisation. There is, however, a uni-directional causality running from energy security through FDI. The policy recommendations of these findings are also explained in the concluding section. JEL: Q43, Q56