In many respects, Africa in the late 1990s resembles the East Asian economies as they began their
economic take-off three decades ago.
African governments need to emphasize three key strategies in their efforts to improve individual well-being and slow population growth. The first priority should be to expand reproductive health and family planning services to meet existing unmet needs. The second, to expand educational and economic opportunities, especially for women, both to improve the lives of individuals and to help encourage a desire for smaller families. The third, to slow the momentum of future population growth through education and reproductive health programs that help young people choose to delay childbearing. Carrying out the comprehensive agenda described above will require
enormous effort by African governments. The task is large, yet attainable if these governments increase their current low levels of commitment to reproductive health and family planning programs.
Governments and donors should be prepared to invest years of sustained effort to build successful population programs. Over the long haul, there are bound to be setbacks and difficulties. Currently, there is no reason to expect that either the fertility or development transitions will occur
more quickly and with less external aid in sub-Saharan Africa than they did in other places.
Yet the needs are pressing, and Africa must accelerate the development of population programs and the current trend towards smaller families. This may be possible if African countries are willing to learn as much as possible from the experiences of other regions, while at the same time recognizing the continent’s own special challenges, such as the HIV/AIDS crisis.
Africa’s relatively recent establishment of population policies and programs has given it the chance
to learn from both the mistakes and achievements of other regions which have grappled with the problem of rapid population growth. African countries, with help from the world community, have the potential to build on these experiences and create their own success story.
63f
Aryeetey-Attoh, Samuel, Geography of Sub-Saharan Africa, Prentice Hall,
New Jersey,1997
Berg, Elliot Accelerated Development in Sub-Saharan Africa, International Bank, Washington, 1991
James E. Rosen, Shanti R. Conly, Africa’s Population Challenge: Accelerating Progress in Reproductive Health, Population Action International, Washington, 1998
Palmer, Ingrid, Gender and population in the adjustment of African economies: Planning for change, International Labour Office,Geneva, 1991
STUDY SERIES #4
Thomas. M.F. Environment and Land Use in Africa, Methuen & Co Ltd.
London, 1990
http://www.worldbank.org/afr/findings/english/find28.htm
http://www.usaid.gov/country/afr/