The rapid growth of population in the most deprived countries of Africa could threaten the future progress in the reduction of global poverty and improvement in health in the wake of a study by the foundation that supports philanthropy founded by Bill Gates.
Population trends suggest that one billion people have been lifted from poverty over the last 20 years, according to the report. However, the rapid growth of populations especially in the regions of Africa may stop the reduction in the number of poor people around the globe and may begin to increase.
“Population increase across Africa is a problem,” Gates told reporters during a briefing on the phone about the findings of the report.
It discovered that poverty in Africa is becoming more concentrated in a handful of countries. They also have the most rapidly growing populations in the world. In 2050, the study predicted that more than 40% of the world’s poor people will reside in two countries only: Democratic Republic of the Congo and Nigeria.
When asked about the most effective ways of dealing with the population growth and the issue of poverty, Gates said improving access to birth control was crucial and should be accompanied by investment in the health of young people and education.
“The most important thing is the latest contraceptive methods,” Gates said. “If you have those tools in place, people will can have greater control over the ability to separate with their kids.”
The report, called Goalkeepers, analyzes 18 data points related to United Nations development goals, including deaths of mothers and children and growth access to contraceptives, HIV extreme poverty, malaria, sanitation, and financial inclusion.
In its section on family planning the report urged decision makers to empower women with the power to choose how many their children, the time they get them and who they share them with.
As per U.N. data, Africa is predicted to contribute more than half world’s population growth between the years 2015 until 2050. The population of Africa is expected to double by 2050 and may double in 2100.
But if every woman in sub-Saharan Africa was capable of having as many children that she desired and the expected population growth could be 30 percent smaller, according to in the annual Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation Goalkeepers report.
This will also allow more women and girls to remain in school for longer and have children later in life and make more money as they grow older and spend more on their children, according to the report. Families with smaller families are generally more healthy and productive.
“To keep improving our living conditions for all, our mission now is to create opportunities in Africa’s fastest-growingand most deprived nations,” the Microsoft founder and his wife have written in their report. “This involves investing in the future of young people.”
