<p>This paper analyses the long-run and causal linkages between macroeconomic variables and CO₂ emissions at both panel and country levels for four African countries with the most production-based CO₂ emissions from 1990 to 2021. The study employs first-generation panel unit root tests, structural break tests, cointegration tests, cointegration estimation methods, causality tests, and variance decomposition tests. The results of three cointegration tests showed a long-run equilibrium relationship between the variables. The coefficients obtained from the dynamic ordinary least squares (DOLS) and fully modified least squares (FMOLS) estimators showed a significant positive relationship between CO₂ emissions and fossil fuel consumption, energy import, energy intensity, population, and GDP. The findings indicated a significant negative relationship between CO₂ emissions and renewable energy consumption in South Africa and Algeria. The coefficient of the spatial spillover variable indicates a positive spatial spillover, where CO₂ emissions from neighboring countries contribute to increased emissions in the local country. The study supports the environmental Kuznets curve (EKC) hypothesis, establishing an inverted U-shaped relationship between GDP per capita and CO₂ emissions among these countries. The findings of causality tests show unidirectional short-run Granger causality from fossil fuel consumption to CO₂ emissions and GDP. Finally, the result of the variance decomposition showed that GDP and fossil fuel consumption are the major contributors to CO₂ emissions among these countries. The result of this study provides important insights for national and international policymakers pursuing climate mitigation and economic development projects in Africa.</p>