Demographic Transition in Sub-Saharan Africa: Implications for Demographic Dividend

2016 ◽  
pp. 61-82 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yoonjoung Choi
Keyword(s):  
Demographic Transition ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Demographic Dividend ◽  
Sub Saharan

scholarly journals Guidance Note on Supporting a Demographic Transition in SSA

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Evert-jan Quak
Keyword(s):  
Population Growth ◽  
Demographic Transition ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Demographic Dividend ◽  
Fertility Rates ◽  
Rapid Population Growth ◽  
Guidance Note ◽  
High Population Growth ◽  
Sub Saharan ◽  
The Right

This guidance note is about how donors, can support a demographic transition in sub- Saharan Africa. The demographic transition is the evolution from high to low mortality and fertility rates, with associated changes in age structures. Countries in sub-Saharan Africa are on a trajectory of rapid population growth. Mortality rates have been declining for some time while fertility rates started to fall later and at a slower pace, resulting in high population growth. It is estimated that the population of sub-Saharan Africa will double between 2020 and 2050 to 2.5 billion. This guidance note refers to support from donors to governments in partner countries in two ways. First, support to adapt to the implications of rapid population growth. Second, support to accelerate the demographic transition. Countries in sub- Saharan Africa need to be prepared for population growth and, importantly, also for a unique “window of opportunity” that occurs when fertility rates fall consistently and at a high pace during the demographic transition. With the right investments, these countries could generate economic opportunities for growth, which in the literature is called the “demographic dividend”.

scholarly journals Generating and capitalizing on the demographic dividend potential in sub-Saharan Africa: a conceptual framework from a systematic literature review

2020 ◽  
Vol 4 ◽  
pp. 145
Author(s):  
Carolina Cardona ◽  
Jean Christophe Rusatira ◽  
Xiaomeng Cheng ◽  
Claire Silberg ◽  
Ian Salas ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Labor Market ◽  
Family Planning ◽  
Child Health ◽  
Literature Review ◽  
Demographic Transition ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Demographic Dividend ◽  
African Countries ◽  
Sub Saharan ◽  
And Child Health

Background: Africa will double its population by 2050 and more than half will be below age 25. The continent has a unique opportunity to boost its socioeconomic welfare. This systematic literature review aims to develop a conceptual framework that identifies policies and programs that have provided a favorable environment for generating and harnessing a demographic dividend. This framework can facilitate sub-Saharan African countries’ understanding of needed actions to accelerate their demographic transition and capitalize on their demographic dividend potential. Methods: The search strategy was structured around three concepts: economic development, fertility, and sub-Saharan Africa. Databases used included PubMed and EconLit. An inductive approach was employed to expand the reference base further. Data were extracted using literature records following a checklist of items to include when reporting a systematic review suggested in the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) Statement. Results: The final review consisted of 78 peer-reviewed articles, ten reports from the gray literature, and one book. Data were categorized according to relevant demographic dividend typology: pre-dividend and early-dividend. The results from the literature review were synthesized into a framework consisting of five sectors for pre-dividend countries, namely 1) Governance and Economic Institutions, 2) Family Planning, 3) Maternal and Child Health, 4) Education, and 5) Women's Empowerment. An additional sector, 6) Labor Market, is added for early-dividend countries. These sectors must work together to attain a demographic dividend. Conclusions: A country's demographic transition stage must guide policy and programs. Most sub-Saharan African countries have prioritized job creation and employment for youth, yet their efforts to secure a productive labor market require preliminary and complementary investments in governance, family planning, maternal and child health, education, and women’s empowerment. Creating a favorable policy environment for generating and capitalizing on a demographic dividend can support their stated goals for development.

THE DEMOGRAPHIC DIVIDEND IN SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA: TWO ISSUES THAT NEED MORE ATTENTION

2017 ◽  
Vol 83 (1) ◽  
pp. 77-84 ◽  
Author(s):  
John F. May ◽  
Vincent Turbat
Keyword(s):  
Demographic Transition ◽  
Fertility Decline ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Demographic Dividend ◽  
Working Age ◽  
Population Reference Bureau ◽  
Sub Saharan ◽  
Near Future ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Active Adults

Abstract:In mid-2016, the population of Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) was almost 1 billion people. By 2050, the population of the region will probably reach 2.1 billion people [Population Reference Bureau (2016)]. In 2100, SSA's population could be almost 4 billion people [United Nations (2015)]. This rapid demographic increase would translate into a possible quadrupling of the current SSA population by the end of the century (unless fertility would decline sharply in the near future). Nonetheless, the region has embarked on its demographic transition, i.e., the shift from high to low crude birth rates and crude death rates, albeit this process has occurred in SSA at a slower pace than in the rest of the developing world. In particular, the decline of fertility has been slower in SSA than in the other regions of the world. The rapid population growth and the occurrence of a demographic transition in the region have generated discussions on the prospects for SSA to open a demographic window of opportunity and capture a first demographic dividend. However, two crucial dimensions, which have so far been rather neglected, need more attention. First, one will need to define with more accuracy the sub-populations of the working-age adults and their young and older dependents, therefore refining the calculation of the dependency ratio. In particular, one will need to assess the population of the young dependents as well as the population of adults who are actually working. Second, it will be also necessary to examine the conditions required to trigger a faster and significant fertility decline in the region. This is most important because the relationship between the active adults and their dependents is predicated by the fertility decline, which will bring the changes to the age structure.

scholarly journals Getting to Africa’s Demographic Dividend

2021 ◽  
pp. 71-96
Author(s):  
Jakkie Cilliers
Keyword(s):  
Economic Growth ◽  
Demographic Transition ◽  
High Fertility ◽  
African Continent ◽  
Demographic Dividend ◽  
Fertility Rates ◽  
Key Concepts ◽  
Sub Saharan ◽  
The Right ◽  
The Relationship

AbstractIn this chapter, Cilliers defines the demographic dividend and explains its relationship to economic growth, with a focus on the African continent. It first covers the fundamentals of the relationship between population and economics, then offers an in-depth discussion of two key concepts, the demographic transition and demographic dividend. The chapter demonstrates that sub-Saharan Africa’s high fertility rates are a drag on development rather than an advantage, as the region can only expect to enjoy a demographic dividend after mid-century. It then uses scenario analysis to demonstrate that, given the right policy conditions, Africa can accelerate population-driven economic growth by reducing its fertility rate through interventions in education, infrastructure, human capital and, most importantly, women’s empowerment.

Youth Empowerment as a Pathway towards Attaining the Demographic Dividend in Sub-Saharan Africa: Evidence from Ghana

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Claudious Chikozho ◽  
Emmanuel Sekyere ◽  
Akanganngang Joseph Asitik
Keyword(s):  
Quantitative Research ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Full Potential ◽  
Youth Empowerment ◽  
Demographic Dividend ◽  
Cross Sectional Survey ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Quantitative Research Methods ◽  
Targeted Interventions ◽  
Sub Saharan

While empowerment of the youth in Ghana could enable them to make a more meaningful contribution to the economy, a myriad of challenges faces the youth during their transition from school into the employment sector and limits the realisation of their full potential. As a result, the recent and significant increase in the size of the youth population in Ghana cannot justifiably be romanticised as an obvious stepping stone towards the realisation of a demographic dividend. In this study, qualitative and quantitative research methods were deployed to carry out a cross-sectional survey that enabled a detailed exploration of the main challenges and opportunities facing the youth in Ghana. Some of the options for enabling greater youth empowerment in the country were also identified. The study established that unemployment, skills limitations, lack of access to finance, and poorly coordinated institutional structures for implementing youth empowerment policies and programmes are major barriers to youth empowerment in Ghana. We conclude that there is a need for more targeted interventions that address these challenges and leverage any evident opportunities available for increased youth empowerment before Ghana can confidently expect to reap a demographic dividend.

The Role of Public Population Institutions on Fertility Outcomes in Sub-Saharan Africa

2017 ◽  
Vol 14 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-8 ◽  
Author(s):  
John F. May
Keyword(s):  
Fertility Decline ◽  
Fertility Transition ◽  
Economic Benefits ◽  
Public Institutions ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Demographic Dividend ◽  
The Public ◽  
Population Policies ◽  
Sub Saharan

Abstract The UN Population Division currently projects the population of Sub-Saharan Africa will reach 4 billion by the end of this century, unless we see a sharp decline in the region’s fertility rates. Although the region has embarked on its demographic transition, this process is occurring at a slower rate than in the rest of the developing world and seems to be stalling in several countries. The economic benefits that would follow from an acceleration of the fertility decline are now widely recognized but the SSA leadership is only slowly changing its attitude towards population issues. This paper’s discussion of SSA population growth focuses on fertility, and the identification of factors that may lead to fertility decline, with particular attention to the direct influence of public institutions. These are the public institutions dealing with family planning programs or those designed to prepare and implement population policies and/or monitor the demographic dividend. Reviewing the experience of these institutions in the SSA context allows us to suggest ways to strengthen them with the view of accelerating the fertility transition in the region, opening a demographic window of opportunity, and capturing a first demographic dividend.

scholarly journals High fertility level in Sub-Saharan Africa: implication for reaping and optimizing demographic dividend

2020 ◽  
Vol 7 (9) ◽  
pp. 3698
Author(s):  
Adebayo K. Sunmola ◽  
Johnson S. Olaosebikan ◽  
Temitope J. Adeusi
Keyword(s):  
Population Policy ◽  
Child Survival ◽  
Policy Implications ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Early Marriage ◽  
High Fertility ◽  
Fertility Level ◽  
Demographic Dividend ◽  
Effective Population ◽  
Sub Saharan

Africa region remains the continent with the highest total fertility rate among other major regions of the world such as Europe, North America, Asia and Latin America and Oceania. This paper examines the determinants of high fertility in sub-Saharan Africa; it also determines the policy implication for reaping and optimizing demographic dividend. Secondary data sources were employed in achieving the set objectives. This paper submitted that determinants such as age at first marriage; high child mortality; low female education; gender preference; and limited birth spacing were the determinants of high fertility in Africa. For Africa to harness the demographic dividend, certain policy implications such as investment in child survival and health programmes; investment in quantity and quality of education; multi-sectoral approaches and meeting infrastructural development; enhance job market and enact and enforce laws to prevent early marriage among other policy programmes must be embraced. The paper concludes that there is high fertility in sub-Saharan Africa because of the in-built population momentum of the populace. Also, fertility must be reduced significantly if sub-Saharan Africa must reap and optimize the promising dividend. This paper, therefore, recommends that all government in Africa continent should come up with and implement effective population policy that will help to reduce high fertility level.

scholarly journals Demographic Dividend in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA): A Far-Fetched Dream?

2021 ◽  
Vol 2 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Sixtus Cyprian Onyekwere
Keyword(s):  
Early Stage ◽  
Past Research ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Policy Recommendations ◽  
Demographic Dividend ◽  
African Region ◽  
Secondary Sources ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Sub Saharan ◽  
Social Amenities

This research was set out to assess whether ‘demographic dividend’ is a far-fetched dream for most countries in Sub Saharan Africa. To achieve this aim, the research draws from a wide range of secondary sources, including data from publications as well as past research and evidence gathered from this study shows that the Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) region is still at the early stage of demographic transition thereby lagging when compared to other regions. The research concluded by aligning with the position that achieving demographic dividend may be a far-fetch dream for most countries in the Sub Saharan African region. Some policy recommendations were made with key emphasis on education, dulling out of modern and safe contraception, bridging the gap of gender inequality and investing in social amenities.

scholarly journals AFRICA'S PROSPECTIVE URBAN TRANSITION

2017 ◽  
Vol 83 (1) ◽  
pp. 3-11 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paul Collier
Keyword(s):  
Urban Youth ◽  
Demographic Transition ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Average Height ◽  
Demographic Trend ◽  
Urban Transition ◽  
Major Exception ◽  
Sub Saharan ◽  
The 1960S ◽  
Looking Back

AbstractThe headline demographics of sub-Saharan Africa appear to be reason for concern. Looking back, since Independence in the 1960s, the region has been the major exception to the global demographic trend of rising height: In some countries, average height has even been declining [eLife (2016)]. Looking forward, between now and 2050, the population is set to grow more rapidly than that of any other region. But the demographic transition that is typically of most concern to African governments is not about the size or stature of overall population, it is urbanization. Politicians fear the consequences of a restive urban youth: an Arab Spring repeated south of the Sahara. Many would like to slow the pace of urbanization.

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