I’ve long been a fan of the Economist. At newsstands, I feel a bit more intellectual bypassing People or Marie Claire, choosing instead the weekly British magazine doused with sharp reporting, ingenious writing and witty titles for even the smallest story.
This week’s “Africa Rising” cover of the Economist immediately grabbed me. The content highlighted the phenomenal growth of many African economies such as Ghana, Angola and Mozambique. Did you know the richest black person in the world is a Nigerian businessman, Aliko Dangote, who started a small trading business in the mid 1970’s? Desole Ms. Winfrey.
The article featured three reasons for Africa’s economic boom: Commodity growth (more than diamonds – Africa has oil, minerals and metals); technology, including the penetration of mobile phones; and political stability (still got my eye on these elections in Congo). The article also made numerous references to the continent’s economic growth and demography.
With the highest population growth in the world, Africa has the potential for an “economic dividend”. As reported, a well-educated generation is entering the African workforce and the ratio of working-age Africans to dependents is rising, giving the continent a boost such as was seen in Asia a few decades earlier. But the ever-sharp magazine was quick to point out what many public health professionals already know – high fertility rates and lofty rates of population growth, such as the trend in most of Africa, leave more mouths to feed, increased competition for resources, greater education needs, amplified poverty, further damaging impacts on the environment, and other negative impacts on health and society. These would in turn have detrimental effects on the continent’s economy.
Economic and demographic growth will continue in Africa. I hope the next article I read about the two topics makes an outright plea for family planning. After all, reducing unmet need, lowering fertility rates and increasing modern contraceptive use is great for an emerging economy. Maybe that will be in next month's Vanity Fair.
