Population Growth

In Tanzania, the 2006 National Population Policy, to be used to gauge sustainable development and poverty reduction, was launched in February 2007 by the Vice President, Dr Ali Mohammed Shein.

Uganda: A major article by Xan Rice, writing from Uganda, in the UK Guardian in August 2006 drew attention to a population explosion which threatens to trap Africa in a cycle of poverty

There are 27.7 million people in Uganda. But by 2025 the population will almost double to 56 million, close to that of Britain, which has a similar land mass. In 44 years its population will have grown by nearly as much as China's.  As Steven Sinding, former director of the International Planned Parenthood Federation, said “Population is off the development agenda and that's a tragedy for Africa."

The Economist in August 2006 described how the Horn of Africa has long been haunted by hunger and by violence.  In the long run, the crucial target is to bring down population growth, to stop this barren area from being so dangerously over-exploited. This means that controlling growth must be on the political agenda.

WWF’s 2006 Living Planet Report. The role of population growth is mentioned several times in the report.  In the Scenario section, population is cited as the first factor in determining the extent of global overshoot: “Increase in population can be slowed and eventually reversed by supporting families in choosing to have fewer children. Offering women access to better education, economic opportunities, and health care are three proven approaches to achieving this”.