Sub-saharan Africa: transforming population dynamics into an opportunity

22 October 2011

Source: DSW

PSN's Karen Newman gave a presentation this week at an international conference in Berlin, looking at how to transform population dynamics into an opportunity in Sub-Saharan Africa. 

Reaping demographic dividend opportunities

Sub-Saharan Africa: Transforming Population Dynamics into an
Opportunity is took place in Berlin on 21 October, organised by PSN network member the German Foundation for World Population (DSW). The conference brought together development experts from relevant ministries and government agencies, MPs, think tanks, civil society, research, and media.

The conference took success stories of countries in East and South East Asia which made use of the so-called demographic dividend as examples, and discussed how population dynamics in Sub-Saharan Africa can be translated into opportunities.

What are the specific reasons for high fertility rates in sub-Saharan countries and how do they affect social and economic development? How can they be dealt with politically? What does the large proportion of young people in those countries mean for future social and economic development and how can they be empowered to move their countries forward?

Objectives

The objectives of the international conference were to:

• Inform a wide range of German and international development experts about population dynamics as a cross-cutting issue for Sub-Saharan Africa's future development.
• Provide a forum for the presentation and discussion of the latest research concerning the complex relationship between population dynamics and economic as well as social development.
• Draw a link from latest research findings to implementation. Good practices on how to integrate the issue of population dynamics into development programs on the ground and national development plans will be shared and discussed.
• Facilitate a dialogue among key stakeholders from governments, international organizations, research and civil society on future cooperation in this field.
  

PSN's Karen Newman participated in the conference and gave a presentation on linking population, gender and climate change, during a thematic session looking at the benefits and cross-sectional approaches for linking the health and environmental sectors.

Further information

The conference was held as part of DSW's  campaign on Africa's Demographic Challenges - further information is available about this campaign on the DSW website.

The conference was co-funded by the European Union and formed part of a European awareness raising programme entitled "Africa's Demographic Challenges", implemented by the German Foundation for World Population (DSW) and its partners, the Berlin Institute for Population and Development, the Austrian Foundation for World Population and International Co-operation (SWI) and the Hungarian BOCS Foundation, in Austria, Germany, and Hungary. Associates of the programme are the International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA), Austria, Partners in Population and Development (PPD), Uganda, and the German Foundation for World Population (DSW) Tanzania.