With the world\u2019s eyes already turning toward Nigeria and Boko Hiram\u2019s kidnapping of almost 300 girls, the World Economic Forum on Africa opened today in the capital, Abuja.<\/p>\n
With young and rapidly growing populations, many countries in Africa face important challenges and opportunities in the years ahead. World population exceeded 7 billion in 2011, is expected to exceed 9 billion by 2050, and much of that growth is expected to occur on the African Continent.<\/p>\n
In response, the World Economic Forum created the Global Agenda Council on Population Growth. PSI President and CEO Karl Hofmann is a member of the Council.<\/p>\n
Besides driving or contributing to discussions like the World Economic Forum on Africa or the ongoing dialogue around post-2015 development goals, the Council\u2019s activities include developing tailored policy briefs for three key countries \u201cthat are undergoing important demographic transformations and may be able to realize a positive \u201cpopulation dividend\u201d in the coming decades\u201d \u2013 Nigeria, Rwanda and Pakistan.<\/p>\n
As part of the policy brief process, the Council recently released case studies from Nigeria and Rwanda.<\/p>\n
In Nigeria, there is reason for hope. From a summary of the Nigeria case study<\/a>:<\/p>\n “Nigeria is Africa\u2019s most populous nation with an estimated population of more than 170 million. Today Nigeria\u2019s fertility rate is higher than that of sub-Saharan Africa as a whole and more than twice the world average.”<\/p>\n “While providing for such a large population poses a significant economic challenge, its age structure can also be a potential boon to growth if it positions itself properly to achieve a demographic dividend \u2013 possible when its working age population is larger relative to its non-working age population. In Nigeria, trends show a significant rise in the share of working age people, with a potential ratio of working-age to non-working age people rising to approximately 2 by 2050. If employed productively, the working-age group can cause Nigeria to reap significant economic gains.”<\/p>\n In Rwanda, much progress has occurred recently, positioning the country for great gains in the coming years. From a summary of the Rwanda case study<\/a>:<\/p>\n “Between 2005 and 2010 Rwanda experienced a major drop in its total fertility rate, falling from 6.1 to 4.6. Contributing to this drop is a dramatic increase in the uptake of modern contraception methods. In just five years the modern contraceptive prevalence rate more than quadrupled from 10% in 2005 to 45% in 2010. The country aims to achieve 70% by 2015.”<\/p>\n “Maternal and child mortality has also declined in recent years. Under-five mortality fell by 61%, dropping from 196 to 76 deaths per 1,000 live births between 2000 and 2010. Additionally there has been a significant decrease in maternal mortality with a decrease in deaths per 100,000 live births from 1,071 in 2000 to 476 in 2010.”<\/p>\n For more, read the full case studies for Nig\u00e9ria<\/a> or Rwanda<\/a>.<\/p>","protected":false},"template":"","related_countries":[],"related_projects":[],"news_category":[],"health-area":[],"capabilities-and-cross-cutting":[],"class_list":["post-4042","news","type-news","status-publish","hentry"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t