The Impacts of Power Infrastructure Development in the Socio-Economic Situations in Sub-Sahara Africa

. Infrastructural development is fundamental in nation’s economic growth and development. Power infrastructure is imperative for nation building and helps create employment and improved the well-being of its citizens. This research paper identifies the impact of power infrastructure development on the economic growth in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). The study adopted a quantitative research approach with data gathered from the respondents within power infrastructure development in the region. Information gathered were analysed using mean item score, standard deviation and factor analysis. The findings revealed the impact of power development on the economic benefit in SSA to be wealth creation, boost in citizens’ income, health care improvement, improved educational systems were seen as the direct impact of infrastructure development on the economic situation in sub-Sahara Africa. Since the lack of infrastructural facilities of an economy can lead to various setbacks in the nation’s economic development, it thereby requires adequate participations by stakeholders to deliver sustainable power infrastructure development in the society. The study power infrastructure development can contribute to regional and national growth, urbanization challenges, and improvement in the environmental through the provision of clean energy which foster social and economic inclusion.


Introduction
The expenditures in infrastructure development is the highest in emerging and developing countries, especially the ones with the highest growth, such as India and China in particular. These two nations, together with Brazil, South Africa, and Russia, make up the so-called BRICS, which in 2012 produced one-quarter of the world's gross domestic product (GDP) (1). Therefore, emerging nations require huge capital investment as a way of developing infrastructure for the purpose of economic growth and development.
Also, according to the Organization for Economic and Cooperation Development (OECD), the everincreasing size in globalization and urbanization by the year 2030 for telecommunication, water, transportation and power generation, transmission and distribution will amount to $71 trillion. Therefore, the government cannot meet this target alone through annual budgets carried out by the awarding of direct contracts. There is a need for collaboration with the private sector to invest in infrastructure projects, to receive aids and bring about industrial growth and socio-economic development (2).
(3) Stated that urgent adequate unprecedented infrastructure is needed to tackle the increase in the population for a better standard of living through the provision of infrastructural" amenities such as power facilities. Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) is in a profound crisis of low power output, which has constrained its economic growth rapidly and restrained development in the region. It is a known fact that the combined 48 countries of sub-Saharan Africa have about 80 gigawatts (GW), while a single country like Spain with a far smaller population generates more. Capital growth in the sub-Saharan region has been stagnant for the last three decades, with growth rates barely half of those in other developing countries. It has widened the gap between sub-Saharan Africa countries and the rest of the world, even compared to other nation groups in the same income bracket (4). Therefore, it is fundamental for government and private investors to make huge investments in large, medium and small irrigation facilities. The large facilities will be responsible for the availability of water provision, irrigation and hydroelectric power (5). Investments in the energy sectors have resulted in improvements in the standard of living of citizens, thereby eradicating poverty and boosting the economic growth in the world (5).
Developed nations in the world have striven to remain above the subsistence economic growth through the secured access to electricity delivered to its citizens (6). Secured access to energy services has improved education, improved incomes for the citizens, and improved the healthcare sector, improved gender equality as well as several other socio-economic growths (7; 8). The development of human resources and the economic growth of a country requires secure energy services (9). It is known that adequate provision of secured energy services in SSA will increase the socioeconomic growth of the region, and help in the actualization of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) (10). The study of (11) agrees with that of (12) that a secured power generation transmission and generation will boost industrialization and economic growth in SSA.
Effective power infrastructure development is a prerequisite for economic growth, improved competition, industrialization and earned recognition and induction into the world economy (13). The effective growth in the energy sector in India for about 20 years between 1972 and 1992 accounted for about half of the Indian industrialization growth (11).

Methodology
The method used in this study was quantitative research approach with the motive of achieving the aim of the study, which is to identify the impacts of power development on the socio-economic situations in SSA. Quantitative methods relate to positivism and factual data (14). The questionnaire was developed from a wide review of the literature and is not part of any existing survey instrument. Practicing power infrastructure professionals in the power sector in SSA were engaged in the collection of the primary data on the impact of power development on the economic benefit in SSA.
The Likert scale (strongly agree = 5, agree = 4, neutral = 3, disagree = 4, strongly disagree = 5) Mean item score (MIS) was used to present the research findings from the Likert scale in a decreasing order.
Exploratory factor analysis (EFA) is one of the two types of factor analysis (FA), and is often deployed during the initial stage of research by researchers in order to collate information about the interrelationships within a set of variables (15). The EFA of the results were obtained to comfirm the validity and reliabilty of the impacts of power development on the socio-economic situations in SSA, with the highest likelihood with an eigen value of more than one, together with the varimax rotation EFA was used specifically for this study. SPSS software version 21.0 was used to conduct the EFA for this research. The descriptive results show the rankings of all the factors from the first to last according to the variables, with the table representing the individual variables' mean score as well as the standard deviation of the variables.

Data analysis
Two descriptive statistics were carried out, which are in the form of mean item score and factor analysis. The ranking of the variables was done with mean item score, likewise factor analysis was carried out to outline the variables measuring same underlying effects (16).

Mean item score
The mean ranking of the variables presented depicts the individual views reached on by the respondents. The result for the test is shown in the table below. The mean table represented below also include the standard deviation of the variables.

Results from factor analysis
The EFA results of the impacts of power infrastructure development in economic situation are depicted in tables 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 as well as fig 1. With the sixteen variables outlined, two (2) of the variables were missing which are 'increases production' (EG11), and 'it creates convenience i.e. makes life easier for everyone' (EG13). The following were the fourteen variables identified with the potential of roles of power infrastructure development in economic growth.

EG2
Creates jobs Room for more capital projects.

EG3
Reduces cost of production Decreases the high cost of production.

EG4
Increases profitability of organization Increases the profits establishments.

EG5
Increases income Better standard of living.

EG6
Ensures a functioning economy Viable economy.

EG7 Increases competition to boost economic growth
Healthy competition between competitors.

EG8 Increases the confidence of investors in the economy
The high rate of investments.

EG9
Ensures a socio-economic growth of the country Boost the gross domestic product (GDP).

EG10
Improves health care and education of the country Better health care and learning.

EG12
Ensures a viable economic growth of the country Improved economy.

EG14
Improves the standard of living of the people Improves citizens incomes.

EG15
Creates room for innovation It ensures creativity and manpower production.

EG16 Increases connectivity between organizations and international investors
Smooth communication for transactions.
Factor analysis is vital in breaking down numbers of large variables and breaking them into more simple clusters for better interpretations (17). Table 3 (Table 4) The Bartlett test of sphericity also was important, this suggest that the matrix of population is not an identical matrix. In addition, the Cronbach alpha that measures internal consistency is 0.802, thus suggest that the reliability of the instrument used by the researcher in the research is quite good. Sig. .000 The data was regulated with principal component analysis (with varimax rotation). The Eigen values has a high value of more than 1. As represented in table 5 and also see figure 1, the factor loading extracted was eight components with the eigenvalue more than 1 and 0.5 (see fig. 1   Ensures socio-economic improvement .747 Improves the standard of living of the people .724

Increases income .699
Ensures a functioning economy .692 Increases profitability of organizations .684 Ensures a viable economic growth of the country .657 Creates room for innovation .784 Increased competition to boost economic growth .749 Improves health care and education of the country .698

Increases connectivity between organizations and international investors
.632 Improves the confidence of investors on the economy .600 Wealth creation .857 Creates job .833 Reduces cost of production .673 Extraction method: Principal component analysis. Rotation method: Varimax with Kaiser Normalization. a a. Rotation converged in 7 iterations  The principal axis factoring used showed that three (3) were present with eigen value greater than 1 as represented in the table 6. above. Due to the careful observation of the inherent connections among each of the variables under each factor, the following assessments were made. Factor 1 was described as economic and social development; factor 2 was described as environmental and welfare development and factor 3 was termed income and industrial improvement. The term used in describing these factors was gotten as a result of closely observing the variable within each of the factors. The three factors extracted and its constituents indicators are explained below, together with a comprehensive descripytion on how it was described the three factor sections.  As shown in table 6 above, three (3) was extracted as the impact of power infrastructure development on economic growth. For factor 2 were it creates room for innovation (78.4%), increased competiton to boost economic growth (74.9%), improves health care an education of the country (69.8%), it increases connectivity between organisations and international investors (63.2%) and improves the confidence of investors on the economy (60.0%). The number in the parenthesis showcase the individual loadings, also the definition of these variables are explained in table 6 above. This cluster accounted for 13.893% of the variance.

Factor 3: income and industrial improvement
As shown in table 5 above, three (3) was extracted as the impact of power infrastructure development on economic growth. For factor 3 were 'wealth creation' (85.7%), 'creates jobs' (83.3%), and 'reduces cost of productions' (67.3%). The numbers in the parentheses show the individual loadings. The definitions of these variables are explained in table 6 above. This cluster accounted for 9.028 per cent of the variance.

Implication of study
From the findings, the theoretical reviews conform to the empirical findings. It can be concluded from the study that wealth creation is the most important impact power infrastructure development has in the economic growth in SSA. It creates jobs, reduces cost of production, ensures a functioning economy, increases productions, and increases income. To be able to achieve these benefits the development of power infrastructure development in SSA is essential. Preference must be given to the power sector to be able to achieve these benefits for an industrialised and functioning economic in SSA. Finally, the role power infrastructure development has in the economic growth in SSA and other nations cannot be over-emphasized. SSA, therefore, requires urgent implementation of this study to achieve the required growth.

Conclusion
Results from the literature review established that the following are the impact of power infrastructure development in economic growth of SSA. It creates employment, alleviates poverty, provides better health care, and improves the country's gross domestic product (GDP). The literature has further shown that other benefits power infrastructure development has on the economic growth are an increase in the income of the citizens, and more investment in the economy by investors.
Results from the findings of the secondary data i.e. the questionnaire survey indicate that there are ten main impact of power infrastructure development on the economic growth in SSA are: wealth creation, job creation, reduction in the cost of productions, a functioning economy, viable economic growth of the country, increased income, improvement in the standard of living of the people, a socio-economic improvement, improved health care and education of the country and increased competition to boost economic growth. It can be conclusively be said that the research objectives for this study has been answered.