The African Union Commission Launches the State of the African Population Report, 2008

 

 

 

The African Union Commission Launches the State of the African Population Report, 2008

 

 

ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia, October 26, 2009/African Press Organization (APO)/ — The African Union Commission (AUC), at the 7th Session of the African Population Commission (APC), today, in the Conference Center of the Economic Commission for Africa, launched the much awaited State of the African Population Report 2008.

 

Prepared under the theme, Population Dynamics and Climate Change: Implication for Africa’s Sustainable Development, the 94-page Report, which covers the state of Africa’s population highlighting fertility levels, trends in mortality levels, migration, population density, water and land resources as well challenges emanating from the relationship between population dynamics and the environment, particularly the effects of climate change, aims to advance holistic and integrated approaches to development in Africa.

 

Developed with development planners, policy makers, parliamentarians as well as program implementers in mind, the Report presents Africa as the continent that is most vulnerable to the consequences of climate change, and cites declining rainfall and agricultural productivity, desertification, severe water shortages, and the spread of diseases, among other environmental challenges and adverse phenomena that will “inflict poverty and human misery on the continent if appropriate actions are not taken at the global, continental, national and community levels”.

 

The Report further points to a slight decline in population growth around the continent noting, however, that the total population will continue to increase as a result of the young age structure and its associated population momentum.

In 2005, the African population was estimated at 922 million and it is expected to exceed 1 billion in 2010, and approximately 2 billion some 40 years to come. The growth in size has implications for natural resource use and improvement in the quality of life.

 

Speaking before the launching, the AUC’s new Director for Social Affairs, Dr. Olawale I. Maiyegun, considered the thematic version of the Report as “AUC’s realization of the interface between population and climate change”, and stressed “the need for urgent action to address the negative consequences of climate change in Africa”. He, then, urged all member states, particularly the African Population Commission Bureau to play a proactive role to shape the outcomes of the APC Session in ways acceptable and desirable for Africa.

 

For his part, the United Nations Population Fund Director for the Africa Regional Office, Mr. Bumni Makinwa, applauded the African Union Commission for producing biannual report on the state of Africa’s population and for the AU leadership role in social development including population and reproductive health and for serving the APC Secretariat. He encouraged the APC to strengthen its role significantly in such areas as (i) effective evidence-based advocacy for the mobilization and support of communities; (ii) increased involvement of the private sector and other stakeholders intensifying the implementation of the ICPD Plan of Action; and (iii) the monitoring of progress, and documentations of lessons learnt—issues highlighted by the delegates from member states during the launching.

 

In his closing remarks, the AU Commissioner for Economic Affairs, Dr. Maxwell Mkwezalamba, said the AUC has been collaborating with ECA and the African Development Bank in preparing statistics on health and population development and encouraged member states to submit data regularly to facilitate the preparation and proper updating of the Report.

 

According to Dr. Kabede Kassa, AUC’s Population and Reproductive Health Expert, this is the third report produced by AUC’s Department of Social Affairs, the first report released in 2004 focused on population and poverty challenges, and the second issued in 2006 underlined the implications of population dynamics for achieving the Millennium Development Goals.

 

African Population Commission is an entity of the African Union and an expert body for African ministers in charge of population and development.

 

For information, please contact:

 

Mr. Emmanuel Ngwainmbi, Department of Social Services, African Union Commission, Tel. (+ 251)-115 517 700;  and

 

Ms. Esther Azaa Tankou, Division of Communication and Information (DCI), African Union Commission. yamboue@africa-union.org

 

SOURCE 

African Union Commission (AUC)