Demographic Factors in Africa's Development

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Periodical article

Title:	Demographic Factors in Africa's Development
Author:	Abate, Yohannis
Year:	1980
Periodical:	Rural Africana
Issue:	7
Period:	Spring
Pages:	15-36
Language:	English
Geographic term:	Africa
Subjects:	population policy population growth urbanization Miscellaneous (i.e. Demography, Refugees, Sports) Development and Technology
Abstract:	The interrelationships and the nature of population growth, urbanisation, and population policy in Africa are examined. There is an unprecedented rate of population growth, accounted for by high birth rates and even more so by rapid decline in death rates without substantive improvement in the economic development of African countries. Rapid population growth is also compounding the problem of major African cities. While there is a need for population policy, there is a lack of unanimity as to the nature and magnitude of the population problem in Africa and what methods and approaches should be employed to handle it. Only about a fifth of Africa's population live in countries where there has been vigorous governmental policy to limit fertility through family planning, while in the rest of Africa the population growth rate is considered tolerable, and in fact in a few African countries it is encouraged. Fig., note, ref., tab.