The Development Policy Forum (DPF) met on 23 March to discuss Sub-
Saharan Africa’s role as an emerging demographic heavyweight on the
world stage.
It is estimated that Africa’s population is set to more than double to
1.8 billion inhabitants by 2050. The ‘demographic dividend’, if it is not
squandered, will have the potential to reinvigorate the economic
growth that was recorded across the continent prior to the economic
crisis, the participants heard.
Moderator Giles Merritt, Secretary General of Friends of Europe
introduced the debate by questioning Europe and the international
community’s seemingly outdated ideas on Africa’s present reality and
future development opportunities. “Until recently,” he said, “I hadn’t
really adjusted to the idea of Africa’s population explosion as a cloud
with a silver lining.”
With political, economic and humanitarian growth in Africa already
threatened by a higher rate of armed conflict and political instability
than anywhere else in the world, a tripling of the urban population
seems to spell out enormous food security and health problems as
well as increased conflict on the continent. Will this actually be the
case? Or, as the panel argued, can Africa take ownership of its
demographic dividend and emerge as a global player?
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