Picking the fruit of today’s labourAfrica will hold almost half of working-age people Projected to be home to 40% of the global population of working-age people, Africa is in a prime position to take advantage of this leverage, but can it?
Africa will account for approximately 80% of the projected four billion increase in the global population by the year 2100, according to the United Nations.
That population of young people is projected to double by the year 2050. This can be an opportunity or a challenge, according to Frederick Okwayo, a population data policy advisor with United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) in east and southern Africa. .
He told the parliament members drawn from the 12 SADC member states that Africa’s population was projected to constitute 40% of the world’s population by the year 2100.
“We have a resource which, when invested in, we can leverage.”
The demographic dividend refers to the economic benefit that can arise when a country has a relatively large proportion of working-age population due to declining fertility and mortality, and when it effectively invests in their health, empowerment, education and employment through public action and private sector involvement.
“With timely, targeted and simultaneous investments at macro and micro levels, this shift can accelerate inclusive socio-economic development. Changing the age structure can produce a window of economic opportunity in countries undergoing a fertility decline.” Okwayo said.
“When fertility goes down, the population age structure changes so that there are more people in the working age group population. When that happens, the dependency ratio declines.”
“For it to become real, duty bearers who include parliament members, development partners and the private sector, need to make a lot of investments. The working age population has to be empowered, kept healthy, be educated and be highly skilled in an environment that offers decent jobs.”
Okwayo cited a few of the many parametres that African countries, working closely with members of parliament, can focus on to derive the demographic dividend. They include maternal mortality; women in agriculture; low life expectancy; rampant poverty; high inequality; low school enrolment rates in early childhood; and illiteracy, as well as unmet needs for family planning.
“We need to provide resources or services to women so that we continue changing the population age structure but in a human rights perspective,” Okwayo said.
The AU has identified four pillars that require focus: Employment and entrepreneurship; education and skills development; health and wellbeing; and rights, governance and youth empowerment if member states are to realise the demographic dividend.
Okwyo called on members of the SDAC PF to embrace and promote the concept of demographic dividend, allocate resources to undertake relevant research, and develop a roadmap and action plan.
“There is need for laws that improve access to credit facilities for the youth and establish and operationalise national and regional youth funds to increase young people’s access to business capital.”
Okwayo’s presentation sparked animated debate.
The speaker of Malawi, Richard Msowoya said unless African members states begin to shun corruption, the demographic dividend would remain an elusive pie in the sky.
“While he (Okwayo) was speaking, I opened my smartphone and checked the index on corruption. There is a direct correlation between the level of corruption and the number of women who are dying in our country,” he thundered.
He said technocrats including Okwayo, should help SADC member states to stop corruption and all else would follow.
Malawi lawmaker Joseph Njobvuyalema took issue with Okwayo for not talking about the youth’s responsibilities in the quest for the demographic dividend.
“Much as the youth enjoys rights, they have certain responsibilities and obligations to observe. We can invest in health but it is their responsibility to protect themselves against contracting HIV. You can invest in education but if they don’t observe the rules or not attend school, that investment would not be meaningful at all.”
“Some of us come from very poor backgrounds but here we are with Master’s degrees. We have secured good jobs because as youths, we carried personal responsibilities. Today if a country makes a simple decision of hiking fees, the youth will go demolishing buildings.”
Senator Monica Mutsvangwa from Zimbabwe said today’s youth lacked mentorship. She called on MPs to fill that gap.
Zambian MP Elizabeth Phiri said some youth needed help in understanding the difference between wants and needs. *Moses Magadza is Communications and Advocacy Specialist at SADC PF
Moses Magadza