Ghana's population to hit 48 billion in the next 29 years
A small group of newborns around the world were yesterday symbolically named "baby seven billion", on a day the UN has chosen to highlight the world's soaring population.
First lady Dr. Naadu Mills helped to identify the symbolic seven billionth child in Ghana and has urged the international community to increase funding for Ghana’s population programmes.
As e.tv Ghana’s Naadi Bitlegma roamed the streets of Accra to assess the impact of the growing population trend in Ghana, it was clear that, flood disasters, heavy traffic congestion, and unemployment provided ample evidence of population explosion as pressure continues to mount on limited infrastructure in the country.
As the world’s population hit seven billion yesterday, it is estimated that, 28.8 percent lived in urban areas in the 1950’s.
However, this has increased to fifty percent and the United Nations (UN) projects that almost sixty nine percent of the world’s population will live in urban areas by the year 2050.
In this regard, Ghana adopted a National Population Policy in 1969 to achieve and maintain a level of population growth which is consistent with national development objectives in order to improve the quality of life for the populace.
Since it was revised in 1994 to in-corporate the emerging issues of HIV/AIDs, environment, aging, persons with disability, among others, measures taken so far have not yielded the needed results.
There is still high incidence of maternal mortality and vast disparities in all spheres of life. At the symbolic identification of the seven billionth Child in Accra, experts have warned of dire consequences if the country fails to fully incorporate population issues in its development agenda.
The First Lady Ernestina Naadu Mills says the country should reflect on how to address the challenges of the global population trend, since Ghana is likely to be a destination for migrants as a result of her good governance and the oil and gas industry, which have implications on national development.
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