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  • Title: Population growth and development planning in Africa.
    Journal: Afr Popul Newsl; 1980 Dec; 34-35():5-11. PubMed ID: 12263333.
    Abstract:
    Some of the consequences of rapid population growth and their implications for the economic development of the Africa region in the 1980s are outlined. The total population of Africa was estimated to be 412 million in 1976, or 10.2% of the total world population of 4044 million. Population density of the region is comparatively low, but the crude density measure of 14 persons per square kilometer in 1977 obscures the very high percentage of Africa's land which is desert or otherwise not arable. Continued high fertility rates in the region coupled with substantial decline in mortality rates especially for infants and children has resulted in Africa having a youthful population. The growth of cities due primarily to rural-urban migration is 1 of the most pressing problems of the region. Some countries in the region maintain pronatalist policies because they have a small population and regard population growth as a stimulus to the socioeconomic development effort. Few countries such as Kenya, Mauritius, Egypt, and Morocco consider rapid population growth a constraint on their development efforts and are now implementing national policies which aim at reducing the rate of growth of their populations. Population problems in Africa arise mainly from the fact that additions to the population needing education, housing, employment and to be fed adequately are increasing at a rate far more than most African countries can cope with. To illustrate the potential impact of population factors on development, the potential relationships between population and health, education, food supply, labor force supply and employment are analyzed.
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