West Africans need to contain their population

[Globalcitizen12]

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At 5.6 births per woman one of the highest in Africa the west African block is estimated to be a 1 billion by 2030..at this rate Europe will be very black
http://www.adeolafayehun.com/2017/07/ecowas-leaders-call-for-west-african.html?m=1

[Omollo]

I think the Malthusian Theory (if ever it was a theory) died on arrival.

Look at the problems China and Italy are facing, despite having totally different approaches.

Improve the economy and let women pull out coils; Get a vaccination against HIV/AIDS and other STDs and join the catholics and Muslims in burning condoms as Otunga - a true man of God unlike the current servant of Lucifer in that seat! - once did.

These days you find a healthy woman like Robina opting not to have children. Kababe choses to have one - two is no longer in fashion.

Do you see how Kikuyus are now depending on Kalenjins to prop their tribal colonial government? Thanks to Moi who stopped the spread of those poisons in Kenya.

[RVtitem]

Why are you worried about Europe? Europe needs fertile people now and west africans offer a good opportunity.

[Globalcitizen12]

I am not worried about Europe. I just think west Africa will just continue to be poor and Mediterranean will be seeing millions of refugees trying to cross to Europe. Nigerian are funny most of the have these huge families they cannot afford. Even in USA an average Nigerian family is they of 4  kids

[Kim Jong-Un's Pajama Pants]

Nigerians, especially Igbo and Yoruba have high fertility rates.  They can take over a place given just a few generations.

[Kadame5]

I feel like ever since Macron made that dumb comment, Ive been reading all these stories about overpopulation in Africa.

I'm certainly not an expert but from just my lay observations, I think that 'fertility' rate goes down with increased modernity and improved economic conditions. There are a few who defy the trend I've noticed, but most well-to-do people seem to opt for fewer kids.

I don't know why. Maybe the biological instinct to preserve the gene goes down when one knows that their offspring has better chances for survival, who knows?

Also, there are no welfare systems in Africa for the most part. Security in one's own family, particularly offspring, is all some people rely on. From the old days. The retirement plan is to make sure there are people to look after you in your old age.

So this is all very complicated.

India and China have shown that a YUUGE population can be development dynamite if used properly.

You also have this sense that the suggestion to curb African population growth is not really for Africans' sake but other populations sake. All very complicated.

Like I said, I'm not an expert but unless one wants to go the Chinese oppressive route, it seems to me that the best solution to a so-called population bomb in Africa is economic development and education. Many women with options simply have other priorities and plan their lives differently. Give women economic empowerment and the population growth will stabilize organically.

But sometimes I feel like some people approach us like a virus outbreak. Us being the Black African on the continent.

[Kim Jong-Un's Pajama Pants]

I feel like ever since Macron made that dumb comment, Ive been reading all these stories about overpopulation in Africa.

I'm certainly not an expert but from just my lay observations, I think that 'fertility' rate goes down with increased modernity and improved economic conditions. There are a few who defy the trend I've noticed, but most well-to-do people seem to opt for fewer kids.

I don't know why. Maybe the biological instinct to preserve the gene goes down when one knows that their offspring has better chances for survival, who knows?

Also, there are no welfare systems in Africa for the most part. Security in one's own family, particularly offspring, is all some people rely on. From the old days. The retirement plan is to make sure there are people to look after you in your old age.

So this is all very complicated.

India and China have shown that a YUUGE population can be development dynamite if used properly.

You also have this sense that the suggestion to curb African population growth is not really for Africans' sake but other populations sake. All very complicated.

Like I said, I'm not an expert but unless one wants to go the Chinese oppressive route, it seems to me that the best solution to a so-called population bomb in Africa is economic development and education. Many women with options simply have other priorities and plan their lives differently. Give women economic empowerment and the population growth will stabilize organically.

But sometimes I feel like some people approach us like a virus outbreak. Us being the Black African on the continent.

I don't know about India though.  China, perhaps.  India is a mess.  It has developed certain capabilities, especially in technology and science, but pulling masses from poverty does not seem to be one of those. 

[Globalcitizen12]

Kadame5,
West conspiracy aside. Curbing or managing it is what Africa needs to emerge from poverty. China once child policy helped a lot. Without it China would still be underdeveloped poor country. The cost of using China model to move a huge population around in a big economic experiment is very dangerous.

[Kim Jong-Un's Pajama Pants]

Kadame5,
West conspiracy aside. Curbing or managing it is what Africa needs to emerge from poverty. China once child policy helped a lot. Without it China would still be underdeveloped poor country. The cost of using China model to move a huge population around in a big economic experiment is very dangerous.

I don't know the relationship high population growth and poverty.  But I think you want it to at a maximum be the same as GDP growth.  I would also go for lower population because I love the environment and people, especially folks just in the throes trying to get ahead, have a knack for messing that up big time.

[Kadame5]

Kadame5,
West conspiracy aside. Curbing or managing it is what Africa needs to emerge from poverty. China once child policy helped a lot. Without it China would still be underdeveloped poor country. The cost of using China model to move a huge population around in a big economic experiment is very dangerous.

Perhaps, but without that population, they wouldnt be where they are either. No country in W.Africa has reached that level so for me, the issue is not the population but as is usual in our continent, governance.

[Kadame5]

I feel like ever since Macron made that dumb comment, Ive been reading all these stories about overpopulation in Africa.

I'm certainly not an expert but from just my lay observations, I think that 'fertility' rate goes down with increased modernity and improved economic conditions. There are a few who defy the trend I've noticed, but most well-to-do people seem to opt for fewer kids.

I don't know why. Maybe the biological instinct to preserve the gene goes down when one knows that their offspring has better chances for survival, who knows?

Also, there are no welfare systems in Africa for the most part. Security in one's own family, particularly offspring, is all some people rely on. From the old days. The retirement plan is to make sure there are people to look after you in your old age.

So this is all very complicated.

India and China have shown that a YUUGE population can be development dynamite if used properly.

You also have this sense that the suggestion to curb African population growth is not really for Africans' sake but other populations sake. All very complicated.

Like I said, I'm not an expert but unless one wants to go the Chinese oppressive route, it seems to me that the best solution to a so-called population bomb in Africa is economic development and education. Many women with options simply have other priorities and plan their lives differently. Give women economic empowerment and the population growth will stabilize organically.

But sometimes I feel like some people approach us like a virus outbreak. Us being the Black African on the continent.

I don't know about India though.  China, perhaps.  India is a mess.  It has developed certain capabilities, especially in technology and science, but pulling masses from poverty does not seem to be one of those.

To be honest, I know economics about as well as the local mama mboga in the esto back at home, so my conclusions should not be taken seriously by anyone. But India is coming up, I hear. Yes, the Chinese have pulled a miracle in the last two decades lifting hundreds of millions from poverty. They now have 70 million living under the poverty line and already have a plan to lift them over that line in the next 5 years. I dont know how they do it. I wouldnt mind mind picking a few lessons from them without the harsher elements but they sure have done something worth marvelling at over a shockingly short period of time.

[MOON Ki]

I don't know the relationship high population growth and poverty.  But I think you want it to at a maximum be the same as GDP growth.  I would also go for lower population because I love the environment and people, especially folks just in the throes trying to get ahead, have a knack for messing that up big time.

The World Bank has all sorts of programmes on poverty, and their web pages are worth a look for anyone with time.      One major statistic they give: Something like 50 years, Asia had most of the world's poor; by 2050, Africa will have thoroughly cornered that "market" (although South Asia might still be a "serious competitor").   Among the reasons given:

* Although African economies are growing---and quite rapidly relative to other regions---the population too keeps growing at rate that is too rapid for the absolute numbers of poor to decrease, even if the proportions are decreasing.

* Moreover, the fruits of all that economic growth is not getting spread around "evenly".   [One of the bank's major themes these days, w.r.t. poor countries is "shared prosperity".]

* What it takes to lift masses out of poverty is now reasonably well-understood, but African countries are hardly doing it.

In relation to the third, take Our Beloved Country (one of the better-off places on the continent) as an example: What exactly is the government of Kenya doing or planning to do that will lift the masses out of poverty?   I can't readily think of anything, but I keep hearing of little jokes like Ajira Digital: hundreds of thousands will be put through 1-week training programmes, and they will then get busy in BPO.   Seriously.

A rapidly-growing population is not necessarily bad and is probably even good---provided people can be put to real work.   Africa has plenty of youthful and energetic people, with many more daily in the pipeline, but do they really have the opportunities to make a substantial contribution to economic development?  Kenya is one of the better-off places in Africa.  But on any day take a look at the number of youthful "idlers" in the towns, cities, and rural shopping centres.   

In Europe, I imagine that people are concerned with these youthful "idlers" getting desperate enough to do the Mediterranean thing.   The numbers keep growing, so that even if only 1% make it ... and the 1% men---burly types who can row across the sea in a dinghy---get to do "things" to nice, little blonde girls!     

Macron of course got what he was "asking for", with his talk of "civilizational problems" and "seven or eight children".    Past that, he had other interesting remarks:

***What if he'd said four or five?

[RV Pundit]

Africa gok should provide free family planning & free abortion services so people can make choices how many kids they want to have without forcing them on one or two child policy. Of course it also help to have better educated populace who will make better decisions on all matters including the number & spacing of the children.

More reproductive health care civic education - more provision of family planning services - more abortion clinics - and we will be somewhere - where women (esp) can make the choice of how many and when to have kids.

The economy will only grow when there are more adults than children - the so called demographic transition that gives you democraphic dividend.

[gout]

They (especially young Nigerians) need to stop electing dying old men and elect vibrant leaders who can create better opportunities and stop the  tragedies of crossing the Sahara and drowning in Mediterranean.