Let’s Treat Population Matter As A National Issue – Dr. Leticia Appiah
The Executive Director of the National Population Council ,Dr Leticia Appiah has called on all stake holders in the country to treat population matter as a potential national agenda if the country wants to reach it’s developmental height.
Speaking to this reporter in her office she postulated that if the country doesn’t see population issue as national issue then all our efforts in building the country would backfire because all developments are meant for the good of the people and if our development cannot meet the needs and aspirations of the populace,then what are we in for ?
According to her the country must seriously prioritise population nuances as of utmost importance treat it as such . She therefore called on policy deciders, advisers, and implementers to tailor any decisions to the good of the people of this country.
Touching on the recent GSS household income of 1,200ghc and as low as 750 ghc in the country per annum ,she said poverty in this country is as a result of poor planning ,child marriages, unplanned births and teenage pregnancy. She intimated that if the country plans it’s population parameters very well where pregnancy is planned well,we will scale the abject poverty line staring at our face as a nation.
“You don’t give birth to number of children you can’t take care of . Ironically,poor people are more fetile than the rich. Is it about number of children or well catered for, educated and quality ones ? You must give birth to a number of children you can take care of so that you will not over work and overstress your selves . The more you have the more resources you need to care for them.
Ideally she opined that two or three children will be good for any family to replace itself, irrespective of your level or status . In this case the nation can plan to contain the population growth rate . Because she posited that if more people are needing the service of few professionals like doctors and lawyers the state cannot cope because its resources will be overstretched to meet this excess demands that will push us to borrow to sustain these demands.
Dr Appiah painted a scenario where teenage pregnancies ,unplanned births translate into unemployment, social vices, dangerous menial jobs and poor remmenuration that affect the health and wellness of young mothers, poor environment, poor care ,weak children and society in general where many youngsters will be fighting for the few or non existent jobs. She even security as a nation can not be guaranteed if we have poor feeble youth and adults due to poverty and ill health.
“The problem in Africa is that we don’t take population issues unlike physical infrastructures very serious like those in the developd countries where they give birth to fewer stronger children so they can take very good care of them. The adult population also lead healthy and quality lives and have high life expectancy unlike Africa who die early and thus have low level life expectancy as a result of poor standards of living.
“Old age is a sign of good living and blessing and we must encourage it . That is why when one is sick he or she goes to hospital for treatment , because we want grow old. But when people die young then there is something wrong somewhere. People must live well ,grow old and die in old age but not when young As a country we must plan our population in fewer numbers to commensurate with our resources to live better and longer “.
On the issue of tackling our population issues ,she called on the women not to shy away from the use of contraceptive irrespective of some minor challenges associated with their use. She also called for the abolition of child marriages like Yahya Jammeh outlawed it in Gambia ; as well Zanzibar national policy on population control in the country to check over fishing, poor jobs,teenage pregnancies etc . Again a country like Rwanda takes population issue as an ECONOMIC ISSUE and prioritises it as a national agenda. Because without proper population planning all our development agenda will be fiasco.
She therefore called on all stakeholders to call for a national dialogue to tackle the population matter head on to avoid explosion that may have a dire consequences on us as a country. She advocated for the setting up of a population coordinators centres at the various assemblies to guard and guide parents to reduce teenage pregnancies and juvenile delinquency.
Again she advocated for proper education and Sensitisation on this important national concern that must be dealt with all the necessary attention and regards it needs. And as she put it ; “population matter is of economic ,social , cultural and political importance and the country must rise up to situate it in its right perspective. That is the only way we can rub shoulders with other sister countries and be counted”
Source Nana Poku/johnawuniktv@gmail.com
