Digital Transformation, Urbanization, and Renewable Energy in Africa: Multisectoral Drivers of CO₂ Emissions and Pathways to the SDGs

Digital Transformation, Urbanization, and Renewable Energy in Africa: Multisectoral Drivers of CO₂ Emissions and Pathways to the SDGs | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Article Digital Transformation, Urbanization, and Renewable Energy in Africa: Multisectoral Drivers of CO₂ Emissions and Pathways to the SDGs Mosharrof Hosen, Mohsen Jafarian, Taslima Jannat, Hatra Voghouei This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-7997240/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Under Review Version 1 posted 12 You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract Digitalization has become a vital driver of agricultural productivity and financial inclusion, both essential for advancing sustainable development. Yet, its environmental implications, particularly its impact on CO₂ emissions (SDG 13) in African countries, remain underexplored. This study investigates the interrelationship between digitalization (SDG 9), agriculture, natural resource rents, financial development, urbanization (SDG 11), renewable energy consumption (SDG 7), and CO₂ emissions across 29 African Union member states from 2000 to 2020. Using data from the World Bank, we apply the Panel Difference GMM method to address endogeneity and ensure robust causal inference. The findings reveal that digitalization significantly increases carbon emissions, reflecting the energy demands of digital infrastructure, production, and emerging technologies. Similarly, financial development stimulates economic growth but is associated with higher energy consumption and emissions. Resource rents further exacerbate emissions, as many African economies rely heavily on extractive industries such as oil and gas. Conversely, agriculture, renewable energy use, and urbanization are shown to reduce CO₂ emissions, suggesting their potential as sustainability enablers. To enhance methodological rigor, Panel Quantile Regression is employed, highlighting how variable significance shifts across the emission distribution. Overall, the study provides a multisectoral framework for promoting sustainable development, economic resilience, and environmental sustainability in Africa. Business and commerce/Economics Social science/Economics Earth and environmental sciences/Environmental sciences Earth and environmental sciences/Environmental social sciences Social science/Environmental studies Digitalization carbon emission African union countries GMM panel quantile Full Text Additional Declarations No competing interests reported. Cite Share Download PDF Status: Under Review Version 1 posted Editorial decision: Revision requested 04 Jan, 2026 Reviews received at journal 16 Dec, 2025 Reviews received at journal 12 Dec, 2025 Reviews received at journal 08 Dec, 2025 Reviewers agreed at journal 02 Dec, 2025 Reviewers agreed at journal 02 Dec, 2025 Reviewers agreed at journal 01 Dec, 2025 Reviewers invited by journal 01 Dec, 2025 Editor assigned by journal 26 Nov, 2025 Editor invited by journal 18 Nov, 2025 Submission checks completed at journal 13 Nov, 2025 First submitted to journal 13 Nov, 2025 You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. As a division of Research Square Company, we’re committed to making research communication faster, fairer, and more useful. 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Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-7997240","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":553926051,"identity":"7c3c2989-2e00-45e1-bea4-8e824c244ee9","order_by":0,"name":"Mosharrof Hosen","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Taylor's University","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Mosharrof","middleName":"","lastName":"Hosen","suffix":""},{"id":553926052,"identity":"4e29883a-5550-4b98-939f-d88c1ca457d0","order_by":1,"name":"Mohsen 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