Asian Journal of Agricultural Extension, Economics & Sociology

Agriculture remains an important source of employment in West Africa, where cereal yields are substantially lower than in China. This study estimates associations between national digital connectivity and agricultural outcomes in 12 West African economies during 2004–2023, using China only as a descriptive comparator. World Development Indicators on yields, sectoral value added, labour productivity, employment and connectivity are combined with Country Policy and Institutional Assessment (CPIA) scores. Two-way fixed-effects regressions with country and year effects employ country-clustered standard errors, with Driscoll–Kraay estimates reported as a sensitivity check. The baseline digital infrastructure index (DFI) coefficient for log cereal yield is 0.128 (SE = 0.068, p = .087; N = 240). A separate CPIA interaction model gives a positive moderation coefficient (0.106, SE = 0.036, p = .014; N = 224), which becomes less precisely estimated when rural electrification is included simultaneously (0.088, SE = 0.046, p = .081; N = 205). Estimates for aggregate agricultural value added per worker and agricultural employment share are statistically imprecise. Different estimation samples, 12 country clusters, residual cross-country dependence and unobserved time-varying determinants of yields limit inference. The findings are consistent with, but do not establish, institutional complementarity or causal gains from digital connectivity.