One billion people now live in Africa, according to a new report. The continent's population is growing by about 24 million a year, and will double to nearly two billion by 2050.

By Dr Akinyinka Akinyoade

Statistics released recently by the Population Reference Bureau show that Africa’s population has reached and exceeded the one billion mark. Though its population density of 33 persons per square kilometer is comparatively lower than Asia (129) and West Europe (170), Africa’s rate of natural increase (2.4%) means that 24 million people – equivalent to Ghana’s population – are being added to continent yearly. Thus, Africa’s population is likely to double to two billion by 2050 if current growth trends are not reversed.
 

Unique
Africa’s one billion is unique in some other respects: slightly less than a quarter of all married women are currently using modern contraception, compared to more than 60% of married women in Asia and Latin America. The highest national fertility rate in the world is in Niger where women have on average 7.4 children; and the continent’s population structure remains bottom-heavy given that 41% of Africans are aged under 15 years with attendant needs for food, shelter and clothing.
 

There is heavy dependency burden on families. Questions arise if the current worldwide economic recession has further eroded African governments’ capacity to adequately meet the health, employment, and general standard of living needs of the under-15 age cohort by the time they arrive at working age in the not too distant future
 

Fertility decline
Prospect for fertility decline is emerging because more African women are having fewer babies. But AIDS is enjoying the dubious role of debilitating the continent’s workforce while contributing to population decline.
 

Deaths due to AIDS are estimated at 6000 a day in Africa, killing more people than in conflict. Projections indicate that some African countries will experience decline in life expectancy at birth to about 30 years, throwing the continent back to the Dark Ages as soon as 2010.
 

In addition, tackling HIV/AIDS crisis is a major drain on scarce resources needed for the improvement of maternal and child health care programs, and in delivery of public services such as provision of clean water, environmental sanitation, and rural electricity.
 

Donor funding
It is not all gloom and doom. The declining trend of life expectancy in Africa can be reversed. Recent studies indicate that donor funding has saved lives which in the long run saves money.
 

Major health interventions are working in the poorest of countries and national governments are improving on service delivery. For faster improvements, Africa requires more predictable and consistent funding from both local and international donors, stronger demonstration of political will, as well as good and effective management of health care delivery programs.

Listen to Bridges with Africa which deals with this subject this week.

Dr Akinyinka Akinyoade's biography

Photo: adma cohn (Flickr CC)