INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF RESEARCH AND INNOVATION IN SOCIAL SCIENCE (IJRISS) ISSN No. 2454-6186 | DOI: 10.47772/IJRISS |Volume VII Issue IX September 2023 Page 2099 www.rsisinternational.org Food Production and Life Expectancy: Evidence from the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) *Chika Priscilla Imoagwu, Uche Collins Nwogwugwu, Uju Regina Ezenekwe & Chris Ulua Kalu Department of Economics, Faculty of Social Sciences, Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka, Anambra State, Nigeria *Corresponding author DOI: https://dx.doi.org/10.47772/IJRISS.2023.71071 Received: 08 September 2023; Accepted: 19 September 2023; Published: 23 October 2023 ABSTRACT The impact of nutritional food and other relevant factors on life expectancy is a motivating factor for this study. In this study, we examined the role of food production in enhancing life expectancy in some selected countries in ECOWAS. The paper used annual series from 1996 to 2021 under the frameworks of panel FMOLS and DOLS. The findings of the study indicated that in the two models used, food production had a significant and positive impact on life expectancy in the selected countries. Government expenditure on health was also found to influence life expectancy positively, while expenditure on education did not have any significant impact. The study also found GDP per capita and population growth rate to adversely impact on life expectancy. In conclusion, the study contends that apart from food production, government expenditure on health, GDP per capita, and population growth are other major determinants of life expectancy in the selected countries. The study is, therefore, of the view that while it is paramount for the government in these countries to encourage the production of nutritional foods by incentivizing the farmers, there is a need for an equitable distribution of income. Keywords: Food production, Life expectancy, Public Health Expenditure, Panel Data Analysis, ECOWAS. JEL Codes: C33, H51, I18, O31. INTRODUCTION Less developed countries are faced with lower life expectancy as a result of so many factors such as low income, income inequality, and a host of other factors. As observed by Jetter et al. (2019), generally, wealthier countries have a higher average life expectancy than poorer countries due to higher standards of living, more effective health systems, and more resources invested in the determinants of health, such as sanitation, housing and education. In another vein, Preston (1975) revealed that there was a cross-sectional logarithmic curve relationship between national income per capita and life expectancy, such that life expectancy rapidly increases with national income. Improvement in the life expectancy of the people is one of the major preoccupations of governments, especially in less developed countries (LDCs) where the poverty level is high. The importance of improved life expectancy that has made it the focus of policymakers arises from the fact that life expectancy is a measure of the health status of the population. Life expectancy refers to an individual’s lifespan or the average number of years from birth an individual is expected to live or exist (Aigheyisi, 2020). Over the years, the determinants of life expectancy at birth for different countries have generated much curiosity from diverse angles, such as health, economic, social, and environmental conditions. The literature has also been replete with studies that investigated the factors that influence life expectancy with diverse results. Of all these factors, food intake is an essential factor which affects life expectancy directly because through dietary consumption, the human body is supplied with nutrients that enhance its life span. As noted by Dethier 2011; Nzeh, Uzoechina, Imoagwu & Ogwuru,2023, improvement in agricultural productivity would lead to expansion in food and other agricultural output. Increased food output could enhance life expectancy as a result of an increase in food consumption, which