Obasanjo Expresses Concern Over Africa’s Increasing Population
- Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most-populous continent, but its rich resources do not reach everyone who deserves them
- With 1.3 billion people as of 2018, the continent accounts for about 16% of the world's human population
- Respected African elder-statesman, Olusegun Obasanjo says the booming population can spell doom for the continent if not well managed
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Abeokuta - Former Nigerian President, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo says Africa’s increasing population is assuming a worsening trend, a situation which he says, keeps him awake at night.
The Cable newspaper reports that Obasanjo made the comment on Tuesday, August 17 while speaking during the public presentation of the maiden edition of the Africa Progress Group (APG) report.
Source: Getty Images
Obasanjo's fears
His words:
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“Three clusters of questions pop up in my mind any time the scary thoughts of the ever-increasing population kept me awake at night. The first cluster is: how are we going to feed this exploding population?”
Daily Sun newspaper reports that Obasanjo spoke in his capacity at the event as the chairman of APG.
He noted that the youth unemployment rate in Africa could be converted into human capital that would translate into a boost for the continent’s economy.
Youths converge in Abuja for discussion on issues affecting young people
Meanwhile, the Determined, Aspire, Re-Imagine and Express (DARE) Conference 2021, a pan-African conference organised by YouthHubAfrica, commenced on Friday, August 13 as part of activities to mark the International Youth Day.
The executive director of YouthHubAfrica, Mr. Rotimi Olawale, said the purpose of the conference is to bring young people in Africa together to interact, learn and also listen to the current trends around the issues that are being discussed.
The coordinator for Spotlight Initiative, Ms. Hadiza Aminu Dorayi, said that one of the reasons for the conference is that it would help to educate the youths, including parents, community leaders on important developmental issues.
In Nigeria, youth activists have called for increased involvement for youth across several sectors to ensure actual national development.
These calls were made as Oxfam in Nigeria’s Work in Progress (WIP!) alliance formally launched phase two of the #BeingYounginNaija campaign to commemorate the 2021 International Youth Day at a virtual town hall event held on Thursday, August 12, and monitored by Legit.ng.
The event, titled "How many youths are left?" was held to explore challenges facing young people in Nigeria and how to tackle them.
Source: Legit.ng
